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Signs and Symptoms of Anal Cancer
Sometimes anal cancer causes no symptoms at all. But bleeding is often the first sign of the disease. The bleeding is usually minor.
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The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team
Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as editors and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.
Bleday R. Patient education: Hemorrhoids (Beyond the Basics). UpToDate. 2024. Accessed at https://www.uptodate.com/contents/hemorrhoids-beyond-the-basics on February 24, 2025.
Czito BG, Ahmed S, Kalady MF, and Eng C. Chapter 64: Cancer of the anal region. In: DeVita VT, Lawrence TS, Rosenberg SA, eds. DeVita, Hellman, and Rosenberg’s Cancer: Principles & Practice of Oncology. 11th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2019.
Goodman KA, Kachnic LA, Czito BG. Chapter 76: Cancer of the anal canal. In: Niederhuber JE, Armitage JO, Doroshow JH, Kastan MB, Tepper JE, eds. Abeloff’s Clinical Oncology. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa. Elsevier: 2020.
National Cancer Institute Physician Data Query (PDQ). Anal Cancer Treatment. 2020. Updated November 25, 2019. Accessed at https://www.cancer.gov/types/anal/patient/anal-treatment-pdq#_1 on March 26, 2020.
National Comprehensive Cancer Network. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology: Anal Carcinoma. V.1.2020. Accessed at www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/pdf/anal.pdf on March 26, 2020.
Last Revised: March 20, 2025
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