Not diagnosed

Hi caroley,

Welcome to the online community. 

Symptoms of Anal Cancer can vary greatly from person to person & from lots of people’s experiences on here alone many of these symptoms often go misdiagnosed as other things. Some of the more common symptoms are bleeding, discharge, itching, pain & lumps or bumps in the anal area. Personally I had very few of these symptoms I had occasional itching & an external polyp that had been there for some time & I thought was totally benign but suddenly when wiping after using the toilet it bled very slightly a couple of times & I immediately went & got it checked out. Thankfully a very cautious locum GP examined me, called a more experienced GP for a 2nd opinion & got me straight on the 2 week pathway. Approximately 3 weeks later I had my diagnosis. 

I would urge if you or someone you know has any suspicion that you/they have any of these symptoms or are worried that you/they  get it checked out, it may be nothing but if it is, as with any cancer, the earlier it is picked up the better the chances of a full recovery. I really can’t stress enough that early detection is key. 

Nicola 

Hi caroley  as Nikki65 has said symptoms do vary. I started noticing bright red blood on the toilet paper when going to the toilet. I also had some itching and then after a couple of weeks pain, I think the tumour had ulcerated at the end which was causing the pain otherwise anal cancer doesn't always cause pain in the beginning. I noticed a strange piece of skin growing out of my backside, although I hoped it was piles it was actually anal cancer and I was referred on the 14 day pathway after seeing my GP. I am now 18 months on from treatment and am doing fine. Obviously as with any cancer, an early diagnosis is better so if anyone does have worrying symptoms there's no harm in getting it checked out. No one should be put off by the lockdown, GP's are still seeing patients face to face where physical examinations are required. Hope this helps. Bev.