Anal Cancer | AIDS related Cancer

 Anal cancer is an uncommon type of cancer that occurs in the anal canal. The anal canal is a short tube at the end of your rectum through which stool leaves your body. Anal cancer can lead to symptoms similar to rectal bleeding and anal pain.

Most people with anal cancer are treated with a combination of chemotherapy and radiation. Through combining the chances of cure of anal cancer increases to great extent, but it can also increase the risk of side effects.(For all types of cancer click here).

Symptoms:

   Anal cancer sign and symptoms include:

• Bleeding from he anus or rectum
• Pain in the area of anus
• A mass or growth in the area of anal canal
• Anal itching

Causes:

Anal cancer result from a genetic mutation, which may be due to any factor, which result in the abnormality of cells. The normal cells grow at normal rate and die at their set time. But, abnormal cells don't do so. They start to divide in an uncontrolled manner and also they don't die at set time due to which they accumulate in cells. This accumulation result in the formation of tumor. Cancer cells can invade near by tissues and can separate from initial tumor to spread elsewhere in body(metastasis).

        Anal cancer is closely related to a sexually transmitted infection called as human papillomavirus(HPV). Evidence of HPV is detected in majority of anal cancer patients. HPV is though to be most common cause of anal cancer.

Risk Factors:

Several factors have been found to increase the risk of anal cancer, including:

• Older age:   Most cancer of anal cancer occur in people that are elder than 50 years.
• Many sexual partners:   People who have many sexual partners over their lifetime have greater risk of anal cancer.
• Anal sex:   People who engaged in receptive anal sex have an increased risk of anal cancer.
• Smoking:   Smoking cigarettes may increase risk of anal cancer.
• Human papillomavirus:   HPV infection increase risk of several cancers, including anal cancer and cervical cancer. HPV infection is sexually transmitted infection that can also cause genital warts.
• Drugs or condition that suppresses your immune system:   People who take drugs to suppress their immune systems(immunosuppressive drugs), including people who have received organ transplant, may have an increased risk of anal cancer. HIV--the virus that causes AIDS-- suppresses the immune system and increases the risk of anal cancer.