Though anal cancer is rare, women are more likely
to develop the condition than men are. If found early, chances of
treating the condition of anal cancer are much better than if found
after the cancer has spread.
In order to diagnose anal cancer early, you will need to know what
symptoms to look for should anal cancer present itself. These symptoms
include bleeding from the anus, pain or pressure in the area
surrounding the anus, lumps near the anus or anal discharge.
If you are experiencing any of the symptoms of anal cancer, it is
important that you contact your doctor and schedule an appointment.
Your doctor will probably give you a rectal examination to check for
anal cancer. A biopsy of the area might also be taken.
If anal cancer is indeed present, there are a number of treatment
options available. Which treatment option your doctor chooses for you
will depend on a number of factors including what stage of the cancer
you are in and your overall health.
Surgery is one of the most common forms of treating anal cancer.
However, surgical removal of the cancer may be followed up with
radiation therapy or chemotherapy. If the tumor is extremely large,
alternative therapies may be given prior to surgical removal of the
tumor. Lymph nodes may also need to be removed depending on how far the
cancer has progressed.
Prognosis of the condition will depend on how far along the cancer is
prior to treatment. Anal cancer is staged from Stage 0 to Stage 4, with
Stage 4 being the worst. The sooner the cancer is caught, the better
your chances of survival are.
References:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/analcancer.html
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