The anus is the last organ located in the digestive system of the human body, and is connected to the rectum, which is the end of the large intestine. Anorectal diseases that cause problems in the anus are so powerful that they can cause great pain to patients and disrupt daily life in an instant, but unfortunately, the importance of the anus itself is not emphasized.
In addition, anal diseases are often treated as a laughing stock in the mass media, so even if abnormal symptoms appear, many people hesitate to find a hospital without hesitation. However, symptoms that have passed lightly, such as symptoms such as itching around the anus or lumps being touched, can be early symptoms of a disease such as anal cancer, and should never be overlooked.
Malignant tumors that can appear in the anus and surrounding tissues include anal cancer and rectal cancer. Anal cancer is literally a malignant tumor in the anal tissue. Compared to other cancers, the incidence rate is relatively low, and early symptoms are rare. However, changes in bowel habits, pain in the anus, foreign body sensation, itching, and residual stool sensation are symptoms that can also be seen as precursor symptoms of anal cancer, so if these symptoms persist for a long time, they should not be taken lightly.
The main causes of anal cancer are frequent inflammation of the anal area, HPV (human papillomavirus) infection, and anal intercourse, but smoking and drinking, which are the causes of all cancers, are also one of the factors that increase the risk of anal cancer. In addition, if you are over 50 years old and have anal diseases such as perianal fistula, you are in a high-risk group. It is important.
Since anal cancer can be observed with the naked eye, in order to diagnose it, a specialist first inserts a hand into the patient’s anus and performs a ‘digital rectal examination’ to check if there is an abnormal mass in the anus and rectum. Check for stool quality and bleeding. If cancer is suspected, a biopsy is performed, and if cancer is diagnosed, additional tests such as CT and MRI are performed to determine the size, invasion, and metastasis of the tumor.
In the past, when diagnosed with anal cancer, surgery was performed to resect the anus and rectum to create a stoma, but with the recent development of treatment, radiation and chemotherapy are given priority instead of surgery to preserve the anus as much as possible. . However, it is difficult to avoid surgery such as recto-anal resection when non-surgical treatment methods cannot be implemented, when there is no improvement despite the implementation, or when cancer recurs.
If anal cancer is actively treated early, the cure rate is 67-87%, which is high. However, if cancer cells metastasize to the lymph nodes, the one-year survival rate drops by half to less than 20%. Therefore, early detection is more important than anything else, and the best method for detecting early cancer is colonoscopy.
If colonoscopy is performed regularly, malignant tumors that may occur in the anus and colon, including anal cancer, can be detected early, and adenomas that are highly likely to develop into cancer can be detected and removed in advance to prevent cancer.
In addition, cervical cancer vaccination is also helpful in preventing anal cancer, because HPV (human papillomavirus), which is known to cause cervical cancer, can rarely cause anal cancer and genital warts in men.
Because it is a rather secret area, it is an anal disease that is often overlooked even if unspeakable pain occurs, so even if you are embarrassed and reluctant to go to the hospital, do not neglect it when symptoms appear and actively visit the hospital for diagnosis and treatment. A good way.
Written by: Seong-taek Jung, Department of Surgery, Sihwa Hospital