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Worried this might be anal cancer
Colorectal Cancer | Last Active: 12 minutes ago | Replies (104)Comment receiving replies
i am about to start proton radiation for anal cancer caused by the hpv 16 virus.
i thought for months that i had hemorrhoids but the gyn said i needed a colonoscopy to make sure and i was lucky to get one within a couple of months.
the dr. was there when i came to and said it looked like squamous cell cancer but i had to wait for the results of the biopsy. was inconclusive. second biopsy at UCSF also inconclusive so wend to a surgeon who i had hoped would just remove it, but was on the sphincter muscle so just took a biopsy. this time it was biopsied as cancer. had pet scan that verified it as stage 2. it is usually a slow growing cancer so i thought i had time to determine how i was going to have it treated. i was wrong. the pain got much worse and felt like my rectum was closing up on me. the only way i can go to the bathroom is if i have diarrhea. so my advise, for what is is worth, is the get going as soon as possible before it gets worse. i am now at stage 3 almost stage 4. (involves 2 lymph nodes). Less than a year later.
i don't know where you are located, but have found that most institutions do only regular photon radiation for anal cancer , even if they they have proton at that hospital. i found, because of another person here on mayo clinic connect, someone that went through this and found california proton cancer center where that is all they do. they are affiliated with UCSD and Scripps.
i hope this helps you decide what to do. don't wait. it doesn't get better on its own.
Replies to "i am about to start proton radiation for anal cancer caused by the hpv 16 virus...."
Samclembeau, Thank you for your post! Galleri blood test detected anal cancer markers and HPV16 in early February 2025 (now confirmed via HMO biopsy). My Medicare HMO feels like my cancer is slow growing and is not urgent, so I’m awaiting surgery and testing for staging at end of march 2025. I’m in SF Bay Area and I’m amazed that there are 4 proton radiation centers in SoCal but not a single one in our tech heavy area. I’m planning 2nd opinion for post surgery treatment. I’m guessing that I will need to self pay to go outside of my Medicare HMO for proton treatment in SoCal. I would love to hear more about your experience, if you have time. I have lots of planning to do while waiting for surgery and staging because I am primary caretaker for my life partner who has lots of health problems, including severe dementia. I need to plan for his care too.
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I though the pain I felt was due to hemorrhoids too. I saw the doctor a couple of times and she just prescribed some creams and never examined me. Finally the pain was so bad I could barely sit. I insisted on a colonoscopy and that’s when the cancer was found. Six weeks of chemo and six weeks of radiation and the cancer was still there. It had shrunk, but was still there. A PET scan had shone it was there and growing. A few months later a MRI was done and it showed the cancer was finally gone. I learned that PET scans are not always accurate. This past October I had a colostomy and I finally have my life back. I know this cancer can come back. My next MRI is already scheduled. My surgeon was excellent. He’s at Mayo Clinic in Florida.