There is a deadly carelessness called 'treating anal cancer as hemorrhoids', seek medical treatment in time when 5 symptoms appear

Brother Xiao is a homosexual. After entering university, he met many friends like himself through the Internet world, and only then did he realize that this circle is not "uncommon".

Due to Brother Xiao's outstanding appearance, every time he attends a gay party, there will always be "aventures", and he has experienced wonderful nights with different people.

Later, due to his busy schedule, Brother Xiao began to focus on his studies and rarely went out to meet new friends. Once he went to the toilet and found that he had blood in his stool. He could feel a small lump when he touched it with his hands. He thought it was hemorrhoids, so he bought it online. Drugs to apply.

As a result, after a few months, my physical condition became worse and worse, my abdomen often swelled, and I even felt a dull pain .

In desperation, Brother Xiao went to a nearby hospital for an examination, but the examination results surprised him. Due to frequent stimulation and human papillomavirus infection, anal cancer was diagnosed in the anus .

1. About 90% of anal cancers are related to HPV infection

Most women are aware of HPV, but few men are aware that HPV can also cause pre-cancerous genital cancers in men.

Anal cancer occurs around the opening of the anus, including the area below the junction of the anal canal and rectum, and is mostly squamous cell carcinoma. According to relevant statistics, the incidence and mortality of anal cancer are rapidly increasing at a rate of 2%-3% per year .

HPV virus is not only the culprit of cervical cancer, but also induces anal cancer. According to clinical statistics, about 88% of anal precancerous lesions and anal cancer are related to high-risk HPV .

Is HPV only active in women? not.

Among sexually active people aged 18-30, the HPV infection rate of males is similar to that of females, which are 14.5% and 15.6% respectively in China; among males, if they have same-sex behavior, the infection rate may be further expanded.

After men are persistently infected with HPV, it may cause penile cancer, prostate cancer, and bladder cancer . After being infected with the virus, it can also be transmitted sexually, causing the partner to be infected as well.

2. Don’t treat anal cancer as hemorrhoids, you must recognize 5 abnormalities

The early symptoms of anal cancer are not obvious, and are often confused with hemorrhoids, which can easily be misdiagnosed and miss the opportunity for treatment. So what are the common symptoms of early anal cancer?

1. Changes in bowel habits

Anal cancer can cause obvious changes in defecation in the early stage. Originally, the bowel movements are once a day, or people are used to defecation in the morning or evening. Due to the stimulation of the tumor, patients will defecate irregularly. Sometimes they defecate several times a day, and sometimes they still want to defecate.

2. Anal itching

Anal itching is also a typical manifestation of anal cancer, mainly due to the secretion of more foreign bodies in the anus, which stimulates the perianal skin, causing itching.

3. Anal pain

Anal pain is a more obvious symptom of anal cancer. Patients will feel a dull pain in the anus, especially when defecation, the pain will increase. If it is not intervened in time, the pain will become more and more obvious.

4. Anal lump

More than 99% of anal cancer patients will have small lumps around the anus, which may be mistaken for polyps or hemorrhoids in the early stage, so it is best to go through digital rectal examination or anal speculum examination for further confirmation.

5. Inguinal lymphadenopathy

One side or both sides around the anus may have swollen lymph nodes in the groin, and the patient may feel pain. In severe cases, it may lead to infection of the lower limbs or perineum.

Since the symptoms of anal cancer and hemorrhoids are easily confused, how to distinguish them?

The first is to look at the degree of mobility . The mass caused by hemorrhoids has good mobility and can be pushed by hand, while anal cancer is more "stubborn" and it is difficult to change the position by hand;

The second is to look at the texture . Hemorrhoids are generally soft in texture, while tumor masses are hard in texture;

The third is to look at the degree of perianal itching . The itching caused by hemorrhoids can be relieved by local cleaning or medication, while the itching caused by tumors often recurs, and it cannot be relieved even with ointment;

The fourth is to look at the color of the bleeding. The bleeding from hemorrhoids is generally bright red without secretions, while the bleeding caused by tumors is dark red, and the blood will be mixed with feces.

3. HPV vaccine can effectively prevent anal cancer!

Published in "The Lancet Infectious Diseases", from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, the impact study led by Dr. Stephen E Goldstone, after 10 years of follow-up, found: the development of quadrivalent HPV vaccine on male anogenital diseases It has a good preventive effect .

There are 13 high-risk pathogenic genotypes of HPV, and HPV vaccines are aimed at different virus subtypes.

2-valent is mainly to prevent cervical cancer, while 4-valent can prevent genital warts on the basis of 2-valent; 9-valent is more comprehensive, covering cancers that can be prevented by 2-valent and 4-valent, and can also prevent vaginal cancer and cervical cancer. , Anal cancer.

However, the three vaccines are currently not approved for male vaccination in mainland China. Although men may also carry the HPV virus at present, the risk of fatality to men is low. If you want to prevent the spread of the virus, you can completely avoid infection by wearing condoms .

However, male vaccination still has its positive significance. Through vaccination, genital warts can be prevented and partners can be better protected. Therefore, if you really have the willingness and conditions, you might as well get vaccinated directly.

References:

[1] "There is a lump in the anus, it may be these 8 diseases! You need to know this knowledge! ". Digestive Liver Disease Channel in the Medical World. 2020-10-06

[2] "Anal Cancer and HPV Infection? ". HPV Nine Prices. 2020-01-17

[3] "The Lancet": Men get HPV vaccine, can also prevent cancer! With three injections of quadrivalent vaccine, the incidence of external genital lesions, anal intraepithelial neoplasia or anal cancer is reduced by 91.8% and 75.0%. Singularity.2021-12-06

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