ON THIS PAGE: You will learn about the different types of treatments doctors use for people with anal cancer. Use the menu to see other pages.

ON THIS PAGE: You will find a list of common tests, procedures, and scans that doctors use to find the cause of a medical problem. Use the menu to see other pages.

Doctors use many tests to find, or diagnose, cancer. They also do tests to learn if cancer has spread to another part of the body from where it started. If the cancer has spread, it is called metastasis. Doctors may also do tests to learn which treatments could work best.

ON THIS PAGE: You will find out more about the factors that increase the chance of developing anal cancer. In addition, this page includes information on how to reduce your risk of getting anal cancer. Use the menu to see other pages.

ON THIS PAGE: You will find some basic information about this disease and the parts of the body it may affect. This is the first page of Cancer.Net’s Guide to Anal Cancer. Use the menu to see other pages. Think of that menu as a roadmap for this entire guide.

About the anus

Anal cancer begins in the anus. The anus is part of the body's gastrointestinal tract, also called the digestive system. It is the opening at the end of the large intestine, below the rectum, where bowel movements leave the body.

ON THIS PAGE: You will find information about the estimated number of people who will be diagnosed with anal cancer each year. You will also read general information on surviving the disease. Remember, survival rates depend on several factors, and no 2 people with cancer are the same. Use the menu to see other pages.