Anal cancer
Your GP will usually ask about your symptoms and carry out some examinations.
They may feel your tummy and carry out a rectal examination. This involves your doctor inserting a gloved finger into your bottom so they can feel any abnormalities. Your GP will refer you to hospital if they think further tests are necessary.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends in its 2015 guidelines that GPs should consider referring someone with an unexplained anal lumporanal ulcer. The person should receive an appointment within two weeks.
If you're referred to hospital, a number of different tests may be carried out to check for anal cancer and rule out other conditions.
Some of the tests you may have include a:
If these tests suggest you have anal cancer, you may have some scans to check whether the cancer has spread. Once these are complete, your doctors will be able to "stage" the cancer. This means giving it a score to describe how large it is and how far it has spread.
You can read more about the stages of anal cancer on the Cancer Research UK website.
Digital rectal exams can detect some cases of anal carcinoma. These are usually part of a prostate exam for men. Manual rectal exams, where the doctor inserts a finger into the anus to feel for lumps or growths, are common in pelvic exams for both genders.
Anal Pap smears can also be used to test for anal cancer. This procedure is similar to a traditional Pap smear; a doctor will use a large cotton swab to collect cells from the anal lining. These cells are then studied for abnormalities.
A doctor may also biopsy a set of cells or tissues to test for anal cancer if an abnormality is detected.
Cancer cells that form into benign or malignant tumors in the tissues of the anus are anal cancer which affects the very end of the colon. The anus is the opening at the bottom of your intestines where stools exit the body. Some noncancerous forms of anal cancer can turn cancerous over time.
Anal cancer often exhibits similar symptoms to other diseases such as hemorrhoids or anal fissures, hence is often accompanied by hemorrhage. Symptoms can include bleeding from the bottom (rectal bleeding), itching and pain around the anus, etc. It could happen that certain patients suffering from anal cancer may not exhibit the aforementioned signs.
Anal cancer can occur in any person, but some people have a higher risk of developing it than others. Anal cancer is caused by the development of abnormal cells in the body that can grow uncontrollably and accumulate, forming masses known as tumors.
Your GP will ask about your symptoms and carry out some examinations. If the doctor sense unexplainable ulcers in the anus, he recommends treatment and another visit in approximately two weeks. If following two weeks, the patient still suffers from residual symptoms, then the physician refers the patient to the hospital for further examinations.
The treatment of anal cancer is a very complex process which often includes the involvement of multiple specialized physicians and varying courses of treatment. In cases where the cancer has spread and can't be cured, chemotherapy alone may be considered to help relieve symptoms.
The outlook for anal cancer depends on how advanced the condition is when it's diagnosed. There is no guaranteed way to prevent anal cancer, but there are some ways to reduce your risk of getting it