Treatment of anal cancer in the Hadassah clinic in Moscow. ✔ Highly qualified doctors. ✔ Modern methods of diagnosis and prevention of anus cancer. ☎ Book an appointment by phone. 8 (499) 588-86-19.

anal cancer

Anal cancer belongs to the group of rare oncological pathologies. The anus is a short muscular tube that completes the gastrointestinal tract and is a system of sphincters (external and internal).

The incidence of the disease is 2 cases per 100 thousand of the population, but in the last decade there has been a tendency to increase this figure by 1-3% per year. The disease mainly affects people over 45 years of age.
The main problem of this pathology is insufficiently early detection: metastases to regional lymph nodes are detected during the initial diagnosis of anus cancer in 25-30% of patients, distant metastases – in 10-17% of patients.

Cancer of the anus: symptoms

With cancer of the anus, the symptoms appear far from immediately and are not specific, characteristic only for this disease. Patients are concerned about pain and discomfort in the anus, a feeling of lump, which interferes with walking and defecation. Attention is drawn to the change in the shape of the stool – it becomes thin due to the partial overlap of the lumen of the anus by the tumor. The same clinical manifestations are characteristic of many benign processes, such as hemorrhoids, so patients do not show concern and do not go to doctors for diagnosis and treatment.

Bleeding from the anus, bumps or ulceration are late symptoms of the disease. A very alarming sign, directly indicating that the sphincter muscle layer is affected by a tumor, is fecal incontinence. Cancer of the anus can also be suspected by enlarged inguinal lymph nodes.

Causes of anal cancer

According to numerous studies, a correlation has been found between the occurrence of anus cancer and the presence in the body of the human papillomavirus (HPV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other diseases and conditions that cause a decrease in immunity. Such a pathology can develop in patients who have undergone immunosuppressive therapy for organ transplantation, as well as after chemotherapy.

Other risk factors for anal cancer include:

• cervical dysplasia caused by papillomaviruses;
• some autoimmune pathologies (systemic lupus erythematosus, autoimmune thyroiditis, Crohn's disease);
• rheumatoid arthritis;
• ulcerative colitis of various etiologies;
• anal canal polyps;
• smoking as a factor of chronic intoxication.

Anal Cancer Diagnosis

In cancer of the anus, primary diagnosis can be made by visual examination and digital examination of the anal canal and rectum.

Confirmatory tests include:

• endoscopy (anoscopy or sigmoidoscopy);
• puncture biopsy followed by histological examination of a sample of the obtained tissue;
• instrumental high-tech examination methods (MRI, CT, ultrasound, supplemented by vascular contrast): give an idea of ​​the presence and extent of spread of metastases, help the doctor determine the treatment tactics.

Early diagnosis of anus cancer is possible, but only those who are at high risk for this pathology need to systematically undergo preventive examinations.

Periodic screening examinations are especially relevant for:

• patients with dysplastic changes in the anal canal;
• women diagnosed with HPV-associated cervical cancer;
• persons practicing homosexual contacts.

Anal cancer treatment methods

Currently, with cancer of the anus, mutilating operations such as abdominal resection are not practiced (complete removal of the rectum with regional lymph nodes and the imposition of a colostomy to remove feces to the anterior abdominal wall).

It has been proven that chemotherapy and radiation exposure in extensive forms of anal sphincter damage are no less effective than surgery. Therefore, radical resection is performed only with a small volume of the tumor, when there is a chance to completely remove the entire focus within healthy tissues.

Prevention and treatment programs for anal cancer at the Hadassah Clinic

An effective prevention of anal cancer is vaccination against HPV, barrier protection during sex and smoking cessation, as well as timely preventive examinations in case of receiving chemotherapy or the presence of systemic autoimmune diseases that increase the risk of developing this pathology.

At the Hadassah Clinic in Moscow, experienced oncologists and surgeons, leading international medical practice, diagnose and treat anal cancer according to modern protocols.

You can sign up for a consultation with an oncologist or for a diagnostic examination by calling the clinic +7 499 588-86-19. Approximate prices for treatment are indicated on the page.

1. Komarova L.E., Barsukov Yu.A. Epidemiology and statistics of anal cancer (literature review) // Pelvic surgery and oncology. 2018. No. 4. https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/epidemiologiya-i-statistika-raka-analnogo-kanala-obzor-literatury
2. Gordeev S.S. HPV-associated diseases in the practice of an oncoproctologist // Epidemiology and vaccine prevention. 2018. No. 5 (102). https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/vpch-assotsiirovannye-zabolevaniya-v-praktike-onkoproktologa

Scientific literature data indicate a direct relationship between the presence of oncogenic types of HPV (human papillomavirus) in patients and the development of precancerous and malignant lesions of the anal canal. Up to 88% of identified malignant tumors of the anus, histologically related to squamous cell carcinoma, were found in HPV-positive patients. The most common oncogenic type of human papillomavirus is type 16.More rare is the association of anal cancer with infection with human papillomavirus type 9.

HPV persists in the nuclei of epithelial cells after initial mucosal infection, which usually occurs during unprotected sexual contact. Based on this fact, doctors attribute barrier protection during sex to effective measures to prevent HPV and related oncological pathologies.