Anal Cancer

What is Anal Cancer?

Anal cancer is a type of cancer that affects the anus in both men and women and affects the distal orifice of the gastrointestinal tract. It is a very rare form of cancer, but its incidence has been increasing over the past decade. Anus cancer occurs when cancerous cells are found in the anus and when left untreated, the cancerous cells multiply and spread to other areas of the body. Once the cells spread and multiply, malignant tumors form and metastasize throughout the body.

Anal Cancer Statistics

Anal cancer is a very rare form of cancer and only about 4500 new cases of anal cancer are diagnosed each year. Then number of new anal cancer cases has been increasing over the past few years, but the reason is still unknown. Anal cancer occurs mostly in adults, ranging between about 60 to 80 years of age. Women are more commonly diagnosed with anal cancer than men, but men tend to experience anal tumors that develop on the outside of the anus. Anal cancer is a serious condition, but only about 690 people die each year from the disease. It is estimated that over 400 women and 200 men will die of anal cancer in 2007, which is less than half of the number of people diagnosed with the disease.

Causes of Anal Cancer

The majority of cancers occur when healthy cells mutate into abnormal cells, which then multiply and spread without dying. The cause for the mutation that causes anal cancer is unknown, but there are many different risk factors that doctors consider that can increase the appearance of anal cancer in adults. Like mentioned before, sex plays a huge role in the risk of the cancer developing. Women have about a 50% higher chance of developing anal cancer than men and adults that are 50 years of age or older also have a higher risk. Multiple sex partners can increase the risk of developing anal cancer, especially those who engage in anal sex. Smoking and drugs that suppress the immune system can also increase the risk of anal cancer, as well as many other cancers that are related to smoking any other immune system deficiencies. HPV, also known as the Human papillomavirus, greatly increases the risk for anal cancer as well as many other cancers related to both the anus and reproductive organs. It is a sexually transmitted disease that has recently been linked to uterine cancer and can cause cells in both the anus and uterus to become abnormal. HPV can be tested for in a normal pap smear and can prevent many different types of severe cancers from occurring.

Symptoms of Anal Cancer

Like many forms of cancer, some patients may never experience any symptoms. Anal cancer can cause bleeding and swelling of the anus, along with severe pain that occurs after a bowel movement. A mass or growth can also grow either inside or outside of the anus, but inside masses can sometimes be left unnoticed. Itching, discharge and a feeling of pressure in the anus also occur and an anal cancer suffer may experience the feeling of needing to make a bowel movement even when they don’t need to.

Treatment of Anal Cancer

In it’s early stages, anal cancer is most effectively treated with surgery in order to remove the abnormal cells from the affected area. The only difficulty with surgery is that the anal sphincter sometimes must be removed in order to clear out the entire affected area, which results in many patients having to use a colostomy bag for the rest of their lives. Chemotherapy and radiation can also be used in the early stages in order to avoid surgery, but many side effects come along with this type of treatment. If the cancer has metastasized or is recurrent, surgery is not an option. Chemotherapy is used in order to shrink the tumors and attempt to kill the abnormal cells and radiation is also sometimes used in order to target certain areas that cause some symptoms. About 10% of anal cancer survivors will develop the cancer again in their lifetime and each time the survival rate is decreased. The most effective treatment for anal cancer is reducing risk factors, such as the number of sexual partners or smoking.

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