Anal cancer is just one example of a cancer located in an awkward area of the body.
Nevertheless, it is still a cancer and thus one to look out for and know the symptoms of.
Embarrassment, says Dr Pavel Vitek, is one of the main reasons why people don’t come forward to be diagnosed when they are experiencing symptoms: “It’s important not to let embarrassment prevent you from seeking treatment as earlier detection often leads to a better health outcome.”
Dr Vitek, a leading radiation oncologist from Proton Therapy Centre, added that due to its rare nature, anal cancer is often mistaken for “less serious illnesses such as piles and haemorrhoids”.
READ MORE: Bowel cancer symptoms: The feeling just ‘before’ opening your bowels
Symptoms of the disease include:
• Needing to visit the toilet more often with looser, runnier stools
• Finding blood, itching or pain around the anus
• Small lumps around and inside the bottom
• Having problems controlling when you poo.
The NHS add: “Anal cancer may have not symptoms at all, or they might be hard to spot.”
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How accurate is it?
In tests it has successfully detected 92 percent of breast cancers, a higher accuracy rate than mammograms, a type of X-ray used to examine breasts for tumours.
Professor Kefah Mokbel, a breast cancer surgeon, has said the test “could transform breast cancer screening”.
Dr Tim Crook of The London Clinic added that the test could help reduce the number of late breast cancer diagnoses in the UK.