Anal Cancer
What Is It?
The anus is the part of the large bowel that opens to the outside of the body. It is the tube that your stools pass through as you empty your bowels. You may hear it called the ‘anal canal’. It is about 3 cm long, and is at the end of your rectum. The area where the anal canal meets the rectum is called the transitional zone. Here the lining of the anus changes and is made up of both squamous and glandular cells. Glandular cells make the mucus that helps stools (faeces) pass through the anus smoothly. Doctors call this area 'the dentate line'. A rare type of anal cancer can develop from these cells, called adenocarcinoma of the anus.Symptoms
The symptoms can be similar to other problems of the anus, such as piles or anal fissures. The most common symptom is bleeding from the back passage (rectal bleeding). Nearly half of all people diagnosed with anal cancer have had rectal bleeding or blood in their stools. Other cancer symptoms can include:Small lumps around the anus, which may be confused with piles (haemorrhoids)
Pain in the anal area – 1 in 3 people (30%) have some pain in the area or a
sensation of a lump there
Discharge of mucus from your back passage
Difficulty in controlling your bowels (faecal incontinence)
A lump (or lumps) in the groin
But 1 in 5 people (20%) diagnosed with anal cancer don’t have any of these
symptoms.
Treatment
The main treatment for anal cancer is a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, sometimes called chemoradiation. You may have surgery as well. You are more likely to have surgery if you have a small cancer near the anal margin.Links
Cancer HelpNational Cancer Institute