Many anal cancers could be found early inside the course from the disease. Early anal cancers often have signs and symptoms that lead people to discover a doctor. Unfortunately, some anal cancers might not cause symptoms until they reach an advanced stage. Other anal cancers can cause symptoms like those of diseases other than cancer. This may delay their diagnosis.
Anal cancer is a type of cancer that begins in the opening from the rectum (also referred to as anus ). This unusual sort of cancer is overlooked by almost everyone due to the location from the affected area. Most people who have experienced the symptoms of anal cancer don‘t discuss it with neither their doctor nor the folks they know due to embarrassment.
The odds that anal cancer could be found early depend on the location and type of the cancer. Cancers that begin higher up inside the anal canal are not as likely to cause symptoms and be found early. Anal melanomas tend to spread earlier than other cancers, making it harder to diagnose them early.
Anal cancer should not be confused with colorectal cancer. Whereas colorectal cancer affects the entire large intestine and the rectum, the anal cancer affects only the beginning of the rectum.
Each year, more than 8, 000 Americans are diagnosed with anal cancer. It is predicted that 1, 000 the strategies will die from it. Statistically, one among every four people that suffer from anal cancer is diagnosed after the disease has spread to lymph nodes, and one of every ten people is diagnosed after It‘s spread to other organs.
Although the cases of anal cancer aren‘t as frequent like the other types of cancer such as colon, rectal, or colorectal cancer, the number of people who suffer from It‘s grown rapidly in the last decade.
The Symptoms of Anal Cancer !
It is very difficult to detect the presence of anal cancer in its earliest stages because most symptoms aren‘t present during that point. However, as cancer progresses, it usually causes many different symptoms such as :
Rectal bleeding
Rectal itching
A lump or mass in the anal opening
Pain or perhaps a sense of fullness inside the anal area
Narrowing of stool or other changes in bowel movements
Abnormal discharge from the anus
Swollen lymph nodes inside the anal or groin areas
Most often these types of symptoms are more likely to be caused by benign (non-cancer ) conditions, like hemorrhoids, anal fissures, or anal warts. Still, when you have any of those symptoms, it’s important to have them checked by a doctor so the cause could be found and treated, if needed.
The cause of anal cancer remains unclear in many cases, but still, there are a lot of factors which will increase the risk of developing anal cancer, like frequent irritation from the anus, smoking, and a weakened immune system. Those who are at higher risk of developing anal cancer are the ones who are older than 60 years. 80 percent from the cases have been detected in people who belong for this category. Men under 35 are at greater risk to develop this uncommon disease when compared women who belong to a similar age category. However, after the age of 50, women are at higher risk of developing anal cancer.
How to Detect Anal Cancer Early?
Detecting anal cancer during its early stages is decisive in overcoming it. There are a lot of procedures that can detect the presence of anal cancer. Here are some of them :
Digital Rectal Exam – The doctor first looks at the outside of the anus to see whether you‘ve hemorrhoids or fissures. Then, he puts on the latex glove and inserts a lubricated finger into the rectum to look for lumps or other abnormalities.
Anoscopy – This can be a method when a small, tubular instrument called an anoscope is inserted a couple of inches into the anus so the doctor can determine whether you‘ve anal fissures, anal polyps, hemorrhoids, infection, or tumors. The doctor will perform this procedure only if he finds something abnormal during the digital rectal exam.
Biopsies, ultrasounds, x-rays, CT scans, MRIs and PET scans – are procedures that can be used to detect the presence of anal cancer. However, all of these procedures are surrounded by controversies due to many studies which suggest they either spread or cause cancer.
Source : Holistic Living Tips
Photo : Mayo Clinic
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