For women, a simple pap smear is used to detect these cell changes in the cervix in their early stages. Other possible symptoms are abnormal discharge from the anus, bleeding from the rectum and anus, itching of the anus, pain or pressure around the anus, and a sore or sores around the anus that do not heal 5.Ĭancer of the anus, like the cervix, develops slowly, beginning with minor cell changes. Although many men have no obvious symptoms, one of the most common manifestations of HPV infection is genital warts which can affect the anus, the penis and/or the peritoneum. Other factors that increase the risk of anal cancer include a high number of sex partners, alcohol, drugs and tobacco use. And, since it is spread through sexual skin-to-skin contact, condom use only partially reduces the risk of transmission. Although HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy) has decreased overall mortality from HIV, it has not reduced the incidence of anal squamous cell carcinoma 4. Again, not all HPV infections lead to cancer.Īnal HPV is present in approximately 65% of HIV negative MSMs and 95% of MSMs who are HIV positive. Among heterosexual women, the vast majority of infections are cleared naturally by the body within a few years, usually by age 30, but this appears to be less true for MSM, where the infections are often still present in later adulthood 2. In MSMs, it is transmitted through both protected and unprotected anal intercourse and skin-to-skin contact. Approximately 75% of all sexually active adults acquire HPV, often within the course of early adulthood, and often in the first two years of becoming sexually active and often without any symptoms 3. There are over 100 different types of HPV, although only several strains are believed to increase the risk of cancer.
HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection 2. HIV-positive MSMs are up to 40 times more likely to diagnosed with the disease, resulting in a rate of 80 anal cancer cases per 100,000 people.Īnal cancer is caused by the same strains of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) that cause cervical cancer in women. Their rate is about 40 cases per 100,000. Current estimates are that HIV negative MSMs are 20 times more likely to be diagnosed with anal cancer. In fact, a standardized screening protocol for anal cancer does not yet exist.Įach year anal cancer is diagnosed in about 2 people out of every 100,000 people in the general population. Health care professionals, too, remain divided on how and whether to screen for it.
However, the majority of MSM’s know little about the disease, have ever been tested for it, nor know that screening tests exit. Among men who have sex with men (MSM), the incidence of anal cancer is significantly more prevalent and increasing annually 1. Few people knew about it before Farrah Fawcett made public her struggle with the illness. In the general population, anal cancer is a rare disease.