anal cancer
Meaning of anal cancer: Anal cancer forms in tissue of the anus and is distinct from the more common rectal cancer, which affects the adjoining bowel segment.
Definition of anal cancer
Anal cancer is cancer that forms in the tissue of the anus, the short canal at the end of the digestive tract through which stool leaves the body. Most anal cancers are squamous cell carcinomas, arising from the flat cells that line the anal canal, though other, less common cell types can also occur there.
Persistent infection with certain strains of human papillomavirus is a recognized factor associated with the development of anal cancer, a link shared with several other cancers arising in squamous tissue elsewhere in the body. Symptoms can include bleeding, pain, or a lump near the anus, though these symptoms overlap considerably with common, benign conditions such as hemorrhoids.
Anal cancer is distinct from rectal cancer, which develops just above it in the final segment of the large intestine, since the two cancers arise from different tissue and generally involve different underlying cell types and treatment approaches, despite their close anatomical proximity.
Used in a sentence
A biopsy confirmed anal cancer after the patient reported persistent bleeding and discomfort.
Good to know
Anal cancer is often confused with rectal cancer or with benign conditions such as hemorrhoids, since all three can cause bleeding and discomfort in the same general area, despite arising from different tissue and requiring different evaluation.
Word origin
Where “anal cancer” comes from
Cancer is formed from Latin cancer, meaning crab, a name attributed to swollen veins sometimes seen around a tumor resembling a crab's legs; anal derives from Latin anus, meaning ring.