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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staff
Anal cancer signs and symptoms include:
- Bleeding from the anus or rectum
- Pain in the area of the anus
- A mass or growth in the anal canal
- Anal itching
Some people with anal cancer don't experience any signs or symptoms.
When to see a doctor
The signs and symptoms of anal cancer aren't specific to this disease. Some people mistake their signs and symptoms for more common conditions, such as hemorrhoids, and don't see their doctors. Talk to your doctor about any signs and symptoms that bother you, especially if you have any factors that increase your risk of anal cancer. Treatment for anal cancer is more likely to succeed if cancer is found at an earlier stage.
- Complementary and alternative methods for cancer management. American Cancer Society. http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_5_1_Introduction.asp. Accessed Nov. 7, 2008.
- Anal carcinoma. Fort Washington, Pa.: National Comprehensive Cancer Network. http://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/PDF/anal.pdf. Accessed Nov. 3, 2008.
- Anal cancer treatment (PDQ) patient version. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/anal/patient/allpages/print. Accessed Nov. 3, 2008.
- SEER stat fact sheets. Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results. http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/anus.html. Accessed Nov. 3, 2008.
- Malik U, et al. Cancer of the anal canal. In: Abeloff MD, et al. Abeloff's Clinical Oncology. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone; 2008:1557.
- Can anal cancer be prevented? American Cancer Society. http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_2X_Can_Anal_Cancer_be_prevented_47.asp?sitearea=. Accessed Nov. 7, 2008.
- Questions to ask the doctor. Cancer.Net. http://www.cancer.net/patient/Cancer+Types/Anal+Cancer. Accessed Nov. 7, 2008.
