Treatments for anal cancer

Your healthcare team will create a treatment plan just for you. The plan is based on your health and specific information about the cancer. What you want is also important when planning treatment. When deciding which treatments to offer for anal cancer, your healthcare team will consider:

• the stage of the cancer
• the size of the tumour and where it is
• possible side effects
• your overall health
• any other medical problems you have
• your performance status and how well you are eating
• your lifestyle and what you prefer or want

Your team will try to treat the tumour without removing the muscles of the anal sphincter so that you will still be able to have bowel movements (poop) normally after treatment. This helps make sure you have a better quality of life overall.

Chemotherapy given with radiation therapy during the same time period (chemoradiation) is the main treatment for early-stage anal cancer. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy may also be used on their own. Surgery is used to treat anal cancer if the cancer doesn't respond to chemoradiation or for a very small tumour.