Anal cancer is highly treatable and is usually curable with combination therapy. Surgery is often used to remove tumors and relieve the symptoms of the disease, and can be very effective when nonsurgical treatment is not enough. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are the two main types of treatment for anal cancer. They both have a high success rate, but both require hospitalization.
Depending on the stage of the disease, the prognosis is usually good. A tumour must be two centimetres or smaller in order to be diagnosed as stage I. If the tumour is larger, it must be classified as a stage II. A tumour of any size can be diagnosed as a stage III or a stage IV tumour. It may have spread to nearby organs or lymph nodes. It may have metastasized to distant parts of the body. The prognosis of anal cancer depends on its stage and its severity.
A person can suffer from several symptoms of anal cancer, including a persistent pain in the anus, a tendency to have trouble controlling bowel movements, and difficulty passing feces. However, in some cases, there may be no symptoms at all. In fact, up to 20 percent of people with anal cancer do not have any signs of the disease. Patients can undergo a biopsy to confirm the diagnosis.
Surgery is the second option for treatment for anal cancer. It is used when chemoradiation has failed to eradicate the cancer. Local excision is a simple operation that cuts the tumour out. This is done under general anaesthesia and requires a few days in the hospital. Another surgical procedure is known as an abdominoperineal resection. The surgery requires a general anaesthetic.
Anal cancer is usually treated with a combination of chemotherapy and radiation treatments. The patient may experience bleeding during bowel movements or a lump in the anus. In severe cases, anal cancer may spread to other parts of the body. If no symptoms are present, the disease should be treated with chemotherapy. This is a relatively simple procedure. There are no side effects. It is not painful and can be cured with a surgical resection.
Depending on its stage, the anus can develop in two ways. Some cases are internal, while others are external. The latter type is more likely to be noticed. The tumour feels harder than hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoids are soft scars and are hard to feel. Anal cancer can be hard and painful, and requires medical attention. In the early stages, the patient can carry on with normal activities.
Some patients may experience bowel movement problems. Anal cancer can cause a person to have trouble controlling his or her bowel movements. Other symptoms include faecal incontinence, frequent bowel movement, or blood in the stool. Other symptoms may not be indicative of anal cancer, but they should be investigated. Although these are not the only symptoms of anal cancer, they can be a warning sign that the disease is not curable.
