Cancer in the anus, also called anal cancer, is a rare type of cancer characterized mainly by bleeding and anal pain, especially during bowel movement. This type of cancer is more common in people over 50, who have anal sex or who are infected with the HPV virus and HIV.
According to the development of the tumor, anal cancer can be classified into 4 main stages:
- Stage 1: anal cancer is less than 2 cm; Stage 2: the cancer is between 2 cm and 4 cm, but is located only in the anal canal; Stage 3: the cancer is over 4 cm, but has spread to nearby areas, such as the bladder or urethra; Stage 4: cancer has metastasized to other parts of the body.
According to the identification of the stage of the cancer, the oncologist or proctologist can indicate the best treatment to achieve the cure more easily, being most of the times necessary to perform chemo and radiotherapy.
Symptoms of anal cancer
The main symptom of anal cancer is the presence of bright red blood in the stool and anal pain during bowel movement, which can often make you think that these symptoms are due to the presence of hemorrhoids. Other symptoms that are suggestive of anal cancer are:
- Swelling in the anal area; Changes in intestinal transit; Itching or burning in the anus; Fecal incontinence; Presence of lump or mass in the anus; Increased size of the lymph nodes.
It is important that as soon as symptoms indicative of cancer in the anus appear, the person goes to the general practitioner or to the proctologist so that tests can be done and the diagnosis made. See also other causes of pain in the anus.
Cancer in the anus is more frequent in people who have the HPV virus, have a history of cancer, use drugs that decrease the activity of the immune system, have the HIV virus, are smokers, have multiple sexual partners and have anal sex. Therefore, if the person falls into this risk group and presents symptoms, it is important that the medical evaluation is carried out.
How is the diagnosis
The diagnosis of cancer in the anus is made through the evaluation of the symptoms described by the person and through tests that may be recommended by the doctor, such as digital rectal examination, proctoscopy and anuscopy, which can be painful, due to injury caused by cancer, and can be done under anesthesia, but they are important because it aims to assess the anal region by identifying any alteration indicative of disease. Understand what anuscopy is and how it is done.
If any alteration suggestive of cancer is found during the examination, a biopsy may be requested to verify whether the change is benign or malignant. In addition, if the biopsy is indicative of cancer of the anus, the doctor may indicate that an MRI scan is performed to check the extent of the cancer.
Anal cancer treatment
Treatment for anal cancer must be done by a proctologist or oncologist and is usually done with a combination of chemotherapy and radiation for 5 to 6 weeks, so there is no need to stay in the hospital. The doctor may also recommend surgery to remove small anal tumors, especially in the first two stages of anal cancer, or to remove the anal canal, the rectum and a portion of the colon, in the most severe cases.
In the most severe cases, when it is necessary to remove a large part of the intestine, the patient may need to have an ostomy, which is a pouch that sits over the belly and that receives feces, which should be eliminated through the anus. The ostomy pouch should be changed whenever it is full.
See how you can complement treatment with cancer-fighting foods.
