HWN Suggests

Saving Lives From Anal Cancer

Paulette Crowther’s three children were grown and she was plotting a midlife career change when a routine colonoscopy picked up cancer, but not of the colon — of the anus.

The diagnosis was a shock. Ms. Crowther, a 51-year-old mother of three from New York City, had had no symptoms and was feeling just fine. It felt like a bolt from the blue. The cancer had already spread.

But as Ms. Crowther and her children scoured the Internet for information, they couldn’t help but wonder whether the cancer could have been prevented, or caught earlier at least.

Some 80 to 90 percent of anal cancers are caused by the human papillomavirus, or HPV, the same kind of virus that…

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Articles of Interest

Anal cancer – a review

Anal cancer accounts for only 1.5% of gastrointestinal malignancies but this disease has shown a steady increase in incidence particularly in HIV positive males.

Farrah Fawcett’s Death Spotlights Rare Cancer Type

One in 624 men and women will be diagnosed with cancer of the anus, anal canal, or anorectum during their life, which translates to a 0.16% lifetime risk of anal cancer.

How the anal cancer epidemic in gay and bi HIV-positive men can be prevented

Some in the medical community have identified anal cancer as the next big crisis among HIV-infected gay and bisexual men. Initiation of anti-retroviral therapy in the 1990s greatly reduced the AIDS-related death rate and improved survival. However, this improvement in survival led to an increase in the lifetime risk of developing anal cancer, especially among HIV-positive gay and bisexual men.

HPV Cancers in Men Take Off

A male-centric vaccination approach might be more effective at combating the STD.

No One Will Talk About Anal Cancer

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Why Don’t Doctors Tell Patients the HPV Vaccine Can Prevent Anal Cancer?

A widely available vaccine can substantially lower the risk of various cancers for those who receive it. For men who have sex with men, the benefits may extend even further. But those potential benefits for gay and bisexual men are often left out of the conversation.

Resources

Anal Cancer Foundation

The HPV and Anal Cancer Foundation is dedicated to empowering anal cancer patients and accelerating prevention and research methods that eliminate anal cancer and the virus that causes the majority of cases, HPV.

Farrah Fawcett Foundation

Our mission is to provide funding for innovative methods of HPV related cancer research, support prevention and awareness, and to help those struggling with cancer today.

The Anchor Study

Anal cancer rates are rising among people living with HIV. The goal of the ANCHOR study is to find the best way to prevent anal cancer among HIV positive men and women.

National LGBT Cancer Network

The National LGBT Cancer Network is the only program in the country addressing the needs of all LGBT people with cancer and those at risk. Our work focuses on education, advocacy and training.