Treatment Options
Anal cancer is treated with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. The type of surgery used depends on the stage of the cancer.
Early stage cancer can be treated by removing the abnormal cells along with a small area of normal tissue.
Later stage cancers are treated with a combination of chemotherapy and radiation and may not require surgery.
When anal cancer recurs or doesn’t respond to chemotherapy and radiation therapy, a abdominoperineal resection (the surgical removal of the anus, rectum, and part of the colon) may be performed. This procedure results in a colostomy. Lymph nodes may also be removed during this procedure.