Many types of cancer are not easy to spot - but anal cancer is not one of them. It manifests itself through clear symptoms.
The results of a 15-year study are oppressive: More and more Americans are suffering from anal cancer (anal carcinoma). Doctors understand this to be a tumor that lies on or in the anus. In up to 85 percent of cases, it is a virus that triggers the cancer - and against which a vaccine exists.
Take bloody bowel movements seriously - and have the doctor clarify them
An anal carcinoma can either lie on the edge of the anus towards the skin (anal marginal cancer) or grow on the inner anus mucosa and into the rectum (anal canal cancer). According to the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK), the following symptoms are typical :
- Bloody bowel movements
- itching
- Foreign body sensation and soreness in the area of the anus
- Pain in individual cases
- loss in weight
- Swollen anus
- Enlarged lymph nodes in the groin
However, some of these symptoms can also indicate hemorrhoids and anal fissures (tears in the skin of the anal canal, where the rectum opens into the anus). An examination by a doctor creates clarity .
HPV infection favors the development of anal cancer
Women are diagnosed with anal cancer twice as often as men, as reported by the German Cancer Society. Especially venereal diseases and chronic infections would be among the risk factors for the development. It is often an infection with human papilloma viruses (HPV infection) that promotes the development of anal cancer . These viruses are primarily transmitted during sexual intercourse. Infection also counts as the main risk factor for cervical cancer.
Read also : Immunotherapy for cancer: The new approaches are so good .
Vaccination against human papillomavirus prevents outbreak of anal cancer
Anal cancer is one of the cancers that are easy to treat. Around five years after the diagnosis, 60 to 90 percent of the patients are still alive , as the TK writes. In general, the following applies to all cancers: The earlier a tumor is recognized, the better the chances of recovery. Specialists therefore recommend that you have cancer screening tests.
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Vaccination has been available since 2007 in order to reduce the risk of contracting HPV viruses - which also favor anal cancer. This is said to prevent up to 80 percent of anal cancers, as reported by the German Cancer Society - but only on the condition that vaccinations were given before the first sexual intercourse .
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Read more : Why more and more young people get colorectal cancer - How to prevent it.
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