digestive disorders
Anal Cancer
Introduction
Risk factors for anal cancer include certain sexually transmitted infections. Bleeding with bowel movements, pain, and sometimes itching around the anus are typical symptoms. A manual examination, sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy, and a biopsy are done to verify the diagnosis. Treatment may involve either surgery alone or a combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy or radiation therapy and surgery. Anal cancer develops in the skin cells of the immediate area around the anus or in the lining of the transitional zone between the Rectum and Anus and the Anal cancer occurs in about 9,760 people in the United States each year and causes about 1,870 deaths. Anal cancer is more common among women. Risk factors for anal cancerinclude the following: Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Infection (genital warts) Receptive anal intercourse Chronic Anorectal Fistula None Radiation therapy on anal skin Precancerous changes in the mouth None Lymphogranuloma Venereum (LGV) infection Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection None Smoking 