Symptoms for 2 years but didn't know they were symptoms

I'm sorry that you are having to go through this, but it sounds like you have a very good doctor.  Anal cancer can be either on the outside (anal margin) or in the anal canal (inside).  Both are usually HPV-mediated diseases.  My cancer was found inside the anal canal and was not treated by excision, rather I underwent 6 weeks of radiation and 2 rounds of chemo.  Sometimes, cancer that is external can be excised successfully without further treatment if clear margins result.  I hope you'll get the biopsy results soon so both you and your doctor know what you are dealing with.  It is good that you will be having these lesions removed. 

You asked about symptoms.  I had symptoms for quite some time, but until I noticed bleeding, I always shrugged them off as other things and had no idea I had cancer.  Your symptoms may be different since you say that your lesions are external.  I always felt bloated, had chronic constipation, and after a bowel movement, never felt completely emptied out.  I also had weight loss and fatigue.

I'm glad you have come to this site for support and information.  We all try to help each other as much as possible and we will help you too.  I wish you all the best and hope you will keep us posted.  Take care. 

Marynb said:

Annabel
I had very similar symptoms for years and also an external lump on the anus. I am just wondering why you have to wait to have a biopsy? Also, the treatment I had did not include surgery at all. Chemo and radiation is the standard protocol once there is a diagnosis. Also, colorectal cancer is not the same as anal cancer. Anal cancer is rare and it is important that you go to a doctor who is an expert in anal cancer. I don't mean to worry you, but you need to get the right care.

In cases of anal cancer that is on the outside, I don't believe chemo/radiation is normally done if clear margins can be obtained during excision surgery. 

Anabel_Lee said:

surgery

I was told that the appt date I got was the soonest they could get me in. I'm assuming that if the biopsy showed something, then I'd be referred to the proper people for it. The reason I was referred to him is because I needed a General Surgeon and he's the one with the most experience dealing with that area. The mole that showed HPV still has to come off and then there's the 2 small lumps.

I don't know much on the topic but I would thought that surgery would be used anytime there's an external lump and chemo/radiation would be used if it was at a later stage. Guess I'll just find out as I go along. All I know for now is the removal of the lumps is in 4 weeks.

I had skin tags down yonder. One formed - I saw someone in the colo-rectal department (don't remember her name or title) and was told it was a tag - nothing to worry about, no removal recommended because they have a tendency to grow back and also because that area is so delicate. She said it would cause more problems to remove it than it was worth. I went on my way, thinking it was nothing and didn't worry too much about it.

About a year or a year and a half later a second growth appeared, much more irregular than the first. I then saw a very experienced colo-rectal surgeon who told me we should remove and biopsy both growths. We did, and the result came back squamous cell cancer, stage 2. Margins were not clean. Proceeded with the standard chemo and radiation treatment.

 I hope your tags are nothing - but based on what happened with mine, I would definitely recommend seeing someone who has experience with anal cancer.

Anabel_Lee said:

Rose

Just curious how long you had the "tags" before getting them checked out. Where they bothering you? How was the appearance of your 2nd one different and were both cancer or just the 2nd one? (sorry for all the questions I get so confused with what I read online (maybe I shouldn't be reading up on it at all) because it always says certain staging goes by size. Like, stage 2 is when the tumour is over 2 centimetres. Does size really matter?

 

I hope you're doing well now

Yes, I'm doing well now (over 5 years out) - very well - thanks for asking. The treatment (should you end up needing it, and I hope not - benign tags in that area are definitely possible) can be tough but, as we say, very do-able.

I had the first tag for about six months before I got it checked out. It was oval and rather smooth. Hard to tell what size it was, but I'd say about 1/2 cm. It wasn't sore and didn't bleed, but had a bad odor. I had to use feminine cleaning wipes 2-3 times per day to keep the odor at bay. The second one showed itself about 8 months later (in my previous post I said about 1-1/2 years, sorry, after thinking more I believe it was more like 8 months later). It looked more like a little flower. No odor, but it was sore and bled (only once - I was very careful with wiping after that one time). Prior to the first growth showing itself, the only symptom I can remember is terrible constipation.

My colo-rectal surgeon said both growths were part of one tumor and that the entire tumor was 2 cm in size and connected the two external growths internally, if you know what I mean. The external growths were what showed but the tumor existed internally too.

From what I understand (and others, please correct me if I'm wrong) the treatment is the same regardless of staging. An important factor is whether or not lymph nodes are involved, enabling the cancer to spread. Mine were not involved, luckily.

If you have any questions at all, please feel free to ask.