Anal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

I too am scared after reading other peoples experiences. My doctor made it seem like "one and done". Now I'm not so sure that it's the case. Keep us posted.

What a roller coaster ride. Last week they told me the cancer was gone. Today they tell me a bit is still there. An inch to be exact. It was about 3 inches in total. It seems that the treatment continues to work for at least 6 months after it is completed. So, I will have scans and colonoscopies every 3 months. They will compare the scans and see that it’s shrinking ( I hope )There’s a 25% chance that it will reoccur in the same spot or another. At scans every 3 months hopefully they can catch it early. What a way to live. Might I mention that I’ve already survived breast cancer and thyroid cancer. I need a break.

Thanks for sharing. Yes, you need a break and I hope you get one soon. It’s so hard to put it on the back burner and “get on with life”

My doctor also said that the treatments can continue to work for 6 months or so. I'm so sorry you have to wait and see what the outcome will be. The waiting is the worst. My PET scan was cancelled today and now I have to wait 3 weeks for another appt. It sounds like we are on a very similar journey.

I asked my doctor that exact question yesterday. I had my first scan since my treatment ended in December. Most of the cancer is gone but a small area remains. He expects it to shrink as the treatments continues to work for 6 months after it’s stopped. He said there’s a 25% chance of occurring again. It could be in the same area as the original site or spread to lymph nodes. Everyone is different. I hope this helps you.

Three weeks? That’s a lot to ask of you. The waiting is the worst, I agree. Did you have radiation and chemo together? Do you have any issues with your stomach?

Sadly enough I found out yesterday that the immunotherapy (pembro) did not work on my tumors and the anal SCC keeps metastasizing elsewhere. I now have two tumors in my lungs, one on my liver and two on my spine L3 and L5. I start chemo, carbo and taxol on Monday to try and shrink the tumors.

I’m so sorry to hear that the immunotherapy did not work. I too have anal SCC. I was diagnosed in September of 2022. Did you have chemo and radiation on the original site? My doctor told me that I have a 25% chance of it returning in the same location or another. It’s very frightening. How long after your first cancer did it metastasize? Hopefully your new treatment will shrink your tumors.

I had chemo/radiation in Aug/Sept 2022 after discovering it in July 2022. It worked well on the spots in my anal/pelvic area to shrink it but during the petscan in Dec 2022 is when they saw that it had metastasized into my blood stream. I will you well too!

I have anal SCC. I was treated with chemo and radiation for 6 weeks in2022. Most of the cancer is gone except for about an inch. The doctors feel that that will disappear too as the treatment continues to work even after it’s stopped. I’ve had radiation enteritis and now I have anal strictures causing fecal incontinence. The cure is worse than the treatment. I was prepped and sedated for my first crafter treatment this Thursday. The colonoscopy could not be done. The anal opening is smaller than a pinky and they could not get in. I woke up to hear that news. I’m feeling so worn out and a bit depressed. Now I am scheduled to have a flexi sigmoidoscopy with a doctor who is more specialized in this treatment than my regular gastroenterologist. He is going to do an anal dilation. Has anyone had that done? Did it work? I forgot to mention that I am also dealing with fecal incontinence.