Perianal Lump

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Hi 
I’m new to forum so thanks for being here it really does help.

In June this year I had a persistent  itch on my Anus at the 9 o’clock position. I then noticed/felt a very small lump probably the size of a pimple. 
I didn’t think to much about it but the itch continued and over the weeks the lump/mass got a little bigger and appeared on the outside of my anus.

I basically put it down to perhaps a haemorrhoid popping up. The lump still continued to get bigger over the coming weeks and I thought I better let my GP have a look. I eventually got an appointment with my GP in late August.I would describe the lump as moveable and had a deep burrow in the middle.It was quite firm and didn’t bleed apart from when it was rubbed clean after going to the toilet. The GP thought it could be a Sentinal Pile but wasn’t sure and as result I was referred to a General Surgeon. That appointment was fast tracked within 2 weeks. The Consultant had a look and he wasn’t sure either but he did say it looked very warty and is either an Anal Wart or Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

The good news was it was at a very early stage and could be surgically removed and that would be it. I had the surgery done yesterday and the discharge letter stated the Anal Lesion ?SCC was successfully excised. The lump has been sent to the lab for examination and to be honest I will very surprised if it’s not Squamous Cell Carcinoma.The Surgeon said he had taken the lesion out with some healthy tissue with it . I don’t fit any of the high risk categories for Anal Cancer apart from I used to smoke but stopped 20 years and I’m now 64 years old. 
I guess the moral of my story is as soon as you suspect anything go to your GP and let him have a look.It took me 3 months because I wasn’t sure it would get better on its own but something told me there was no chance of that.Don’t take any notice of whether or not you fit into high risk pigeon hole it will only waste time.

Ive got to wait a couple of weeks and I’m praying it’s not anything sinister but these surgeons are pretty good at detecting things.If he thought it was anal wart he would have perhaps took a smaller biopsy to confirm it.

Anyway folks I wish everybody good luck on their Journey with this horrible disease.

I will update you with the result of this biopsy.

Kind regards John

  • Hi JayC welcome to the group. This group has lots of members who come on here regularly or pop in now and again to let us know how they are getting on. I too had a biopsy to remove a sessile polyp which embeds along the tissue which was tricky to remove unlike the normal upright ones that I was told are usually benign. The waiting for the results was difficult and then the news that they didn’t get a successful margin which involved me having the six weeks chemo/radiotherapy sessions of five days a week. Fingers crossed that you get a good result. I’m 28 months post treatment and getting on with life and so grateful to my GP who I visited as I thought I had piles which I had never had before and she straight away said it doesn’t feel right and sent me for tests. We are here to give you support and tips on how we dealt with skin issues along the way

  • Hello John

    Thank you for posting about this, and another welcome.  You are absolutely right about visiting your GP as soon as possible, sadly, there are quite a few forum members whose concerns were brushed aside and told their bleeding was piles.  So to add to your advice I would say push very hard for a referral.

    If you need further treatment, we have a host of tips to help you along the way, but I am keeping everything crossed that the margins are sufficient and you have seen an end to it all.

    Irene xx

  • Thanks Irene 

    John

  • Hi John,

    Welcome and thanks for posting. I'm one of the ones who had to keep chasing doctors who wouldn't fob me off with 'It's just a hemorrhoid' or simply shrug and say they couldn't find anything to be causing such pain. 

    So I'll add to your excellent advice....Don't Get Fobbed Off!

    Hoping hard that they got everything off and that's it for you, John!

    Suz

  • Hi John ( ),

    Welcome to the Macmillan online community although I’m really sorry that you’ve had the need to find us. 

    Thank you for sharing your experience thus far also, unfortunately a large portion of anal cancers are still being misdiagnosed as haemorrhoids which leads to a much later staging but thankfully your GP has got you seen quickly by a colorectal surgeon & you’ve had the necessary surgery. I’m hoping your results show it’s just something benign. I also had a local resection as first line treatment & know how uncomfortable it can be recovering from the surgery so I hope you’re ok. If you click on my username you can read about my journey there, I’m now 5 years+ post treatment & doing well & cancer free to date. 

    Please let us know when you get your results & should the worst come to the worst we’re here to support you however we can.

    Nicola 

  • Hi Everyone

    I received a phone call tonight at 6.45pm from an unknown number which turned out to  be the Colorectal Nurse from the hospital with the results of my EUA 3 weeks ago.She told me the result of the excision/biopsy was Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

    I was a bit shocked but kinda guessed that would be the diagnosis. She told me I need a MRI and CT scan in the next 2 weeks to see if the cancer has spread. I will be referred to a Multi Disciplinary Team to see if I need Radiotherapy/Chemotherapy treatment. She said the excision Margins were ok but might still need treatment to kill any cancer cells.

    I must admit I drove home in a bit of a daze but will probably need to get my head around what’s actually happened.

    Is this a pretty typical feeling ? 

  • Hi JayC yes I do think waiting or hearing a diagnosis is mind numbing. You hear on the news about one in two will experience cancer and that’s high but when you have someone say to you we looked at the biopsy and found cancer cells in the margins you just go into shock. I didn’t shout or cry, I was just numb! Then you wait for the next stage. Hopefully if you have cancer it hasn’t spread. If it has then they look at how best to treat up. Good luck with the scans.

  • Very typical, near as I can tell. 

    Obviously I don't know, but it seems likely you'll get the treatment, which is rough but once it's in the rear-view mirror, better to have a smaller chance of the cancer coming back.

    Most of us get hustled quickly into treatment, which feels like a bum's rush but is really pretty helpful cuz you don't have much time to stew. Get in, get out, recover.

    Keep us posted!

    Hugs

    Suz

  • Hi  ,

    Definitely the way you’re feeling is completely typical, I just felt numb following my diagnosis, the specialist nurse that sat in with me when the colorectal consultant delivered my diagnosis walked with me down to radiology to make appointments for my CT & MRI scans & I honestly can’t tell you how I put one foot in front of the other! Things from there on in moved pretty quickly for me so thankfully it didn’t leave me much time to dwell on things. I had a local resection but a tiny portion of my tumour had just a 1mm clearance which I was told was cut off point for further treatment so I went on to have chemoradiotherapy as part of the PLATO clinical trial. Wishing you good luck with your upcoming scans. 

    Nicola