General Medical Information

Anal Cancer

Anal cancer is an often curable disease. The 3 major prognostic factors are site (anal canal versus perianal skin), size (primary tumors less than 2 centimeters in size have a better prognosis), and differentiation (well-differentiated tumors are more favorable than poorly differentiated tumors).

Anal cancer is an uncommon malignancy, accounting for only a small percentage (4%) of all cancers of the lower alimentary tract. Clinical trials have evaluated the roles of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery in the treatment of this disease.[1,2] Information about ongoing clinical trials is available from the NCI Cancer.gov Web site.
Overall, the risk of anal cancer is rising, with data suggesting that individuals with human papillomavirus and male homosexuals, in particular, are at increased risk of anal cancer.[3-5]

References

1. Martenson JA, Lipsitz SR, Lefkopoulou M, et al.: Results of combined modality therapy for patients with anal cancer (E7283). An Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group study. Cancer 76 (10): 1731-6, 1995.

2. Fuchshuber PR, Rodriguez-Bigas M, Weber T, et al.: Anal canal and perianal epidermoid cancers. J Am Coll Surg 185 (5): 494-505, 1997.

3. Daling JR, Weiss NS, Hislop TG, et al.: Sexual practices, sexually transmitted diseases, and the incidence of anal cancer. N Engl J Med 317 (16): 973-7, 1987.

4. Palefsky JM, Holly EA, Gonzales J, et al.: Detection of human papillomavirus DNA in anal intraepithelial neoplasia and anal cancer. Cancer Res 51 (3): 1014-9, 1991.

5. Ryan DP, Compton CC, Mayer RJ: Carcinoma of the anal canal. N Engl J Med 342 (11): 792-800, 2000.