When the New York Times write a longform piece about the scourge of anal cancer, including its causes and precursors, people sit up and take notice. But some such pieces warrant further discussion, especially when the warnings they contain remain largely unheeded several years later.
Here is the Times on the frequency of this dangerous disease:
While men who have sex with men are at elevated risk for developing anal cancer, the disease strikes more women than men: cases are diagnosed in some 2,000 men and 3,260 women each year in the United States. The disease is on the rise, with new diagnoses increasing by 2 percent a year in both men and women, according to national cancer statistics. Each year, 720 people die of anal cancer.
Screening is the best way to reduce your chances of dying from anal cancer and improve your prognosis across the board. Like any aggressive forms of cancer, anal cancer responds far better early in the process than in its later stages; the only way to catch it is to visit your proctologist for preventive measures such as colonoscopy or anal pap smear and high resolutiono anoscopy when appropriate.
The Los Angeles and Orange County Proctology Institute offers the best treatment for anal cancer in California. Please reach out today for more information about screening and diagnosis in your area.
