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The ASCRS Textbook of Colon and Rectal Surgery pp 357–371Cite as

Anal Cancer

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Abstract

Anal cancer accounts for only 4 % of all cancers of the lower alimentary tract. However, the incidence is rising—possibly due to the higher incidence of persons engaging in anal-receptive intercourse. Chemoradiotherapy has become the standard treatment for localized anal squamous cell cancer (except for very small tumors of the anal margin). Improvement in therapeutic techniques such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy reduces toxicity, improves compliance, and therefore translates into better oncologic outcomes. Patients who fail initial chemoradiotherapy should be considered for abdominoperineal resection or palliative chemotherapy. Patients with metastatic anal cancer are treated with cisplatin-based chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy (or surgery) to control the primary tumor. Cetuximab-based treatment may be used in patients with metastatic anal cancer (KRAS wild type) after failure of cisplatin-based chemotherapy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Colorectal Surgery, Medstar Saint Mary’s Hospital, Leonard Town, MD, USA

    Tushar Samdani MD,MS,DNB(Surgery),MRCS(Edin)

  2. Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA

    Garrett M. Nash MD, MPH

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  1. Tushar Samdani MD,MS,DNB(Surgery),MRCS(Edin)
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  2. Garrett M. Nash MD, MPH
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Correspondence to Garrett M. Nash MD, MPH .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Colorectal Surgery, University Hospitals Case Medical Center Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Scott R. Steele

  2. Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Tracy L. Hull

  3. Tufts University School of Medicine, Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Burlington, MA, USA

    Thomas E. Read

  4. Ambrose and Gladys Bowyer, Loyola University, Chicago, IL, USA

    Theodore J. Saclarides

  5. University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX, USA

    Anthony J. Senagore

  6. Ochsner Medical Center, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Charles B. Whitlow

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Samdani, T., Nash, G.M. (2016). Anal Cancer. In: Steele, S.R., Hull, T.L., Read, T.E., Saclarides, T.J., Senagore, A.J., Whitlow, C.B. (eds) The ASCRS Textbook of Colon and Rectal Surgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-25970-3_21

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