Anal cancer
Anal cancer is a cancer which arises from the anus, the opening of the tract. Symptoms may include bleeding from the anus or a lump near the anus. Other symptoms may include pain, itchiness, or discharge from the anus. A change in bowel movements may also occur.
Underlined words are explained — tap any of them.
Symptoms — what it feels like
- ·Anal bleeding or lump
How it's found
- ·Physical examination,
Prevention
- ·HPV vaccination, avoiding risk factors
Treatment
- · therapy, ,
Outlook
- ·Five year survival ~71% (US 2021)
The sections below are general education drawn from public guidelines (NHS, Mayo, CPIC, WHO, ICMR). They are not individually reviewed by a clinician and are not medical advice — always talk to a doctor about your own health.
Genes that change how certain drugs work — and that differ in South Asians. This is education, not a dosing tool; genotype-guided prescribing is a clinician decision.
5-FU and capecitabine are powerful cancer drugs your body normally breaks down quickly with the DPD . People born with a weak version can't clear the drug, so a standard dose becomes a poisoning - which is why a doctor may lower the dose or choose another plan.
South Asian signal: The classic European risk variant DPYD*2A (c.1905+1G>A, rs3918290) is markedly rarer in Indians (~0.05% allele frequency) than in Europeans (~0.3-0.5%), so a European-only variant panel will miss most at-risk Indian patients; population-specific and broader DPYD variant coverage is needed. South Asian populations may carry different or under-catalogued DPYD variants, and DPD-deficiency phenotype testing remains relevant.
Prescriber note: Where DPYD testing is used before fluoropyrimidine chemotherapy, ensure the panel is not limited to European variants (DPYD*2A is rare in Indians); consider broader genotyping and/or phenotype (DPD activity) assessment, and reduce or avoid dosing per the DPYD activity score. CPIC recommends reducing the fluoropyrimidine starting dose (guided by DPYD activity score) for DPYD intermediate metabolisers and avoiding fluoropyrimidines in poor metabolisers, because reduced DPD activity sharply raises the risk of severe or fatal toxicity.
Not a dosing tool. Genotype-guided prescribing is a clinician decision; genotyping access in India is limited.