Read article Screening for anal cancer
This page tells you about screening for anal cancer.
Screening for anal cancer
Screening means testing for early stages of a disease before there are any symptoms.
Before doctors can screen for any type of cancer, they must have an accurate test to use. The test must be reliable in picking up cancers that are there. And it must not give false positive results in people who do not have cancer. At the moment, we don’t have a suitable test to use for anal cancer screening.
If you think you are at higher than average risk for anal cancer, talk to your doctor as you may be able to have regular check ups.
You can view and print the quick guides for all the pages in the about anal cancer section.
Screening means testing for early stages of a disease before there are any symptoms.
Before doctors can screen for any type of cancer, they must have an accurate test to use. The test must be reliable in picking up cancers that are there. And it must not give false positive results in people who do not have cancer. At the moment, we don’t have a suitable test to use for anal cancer screening.
There is no screening programme for anal cancer in the UK at the moment because
- Low numbers of cancers would be found
- The tests have risks that outweigh the benefits for most people
- The cost of screening would be high
With uncommon diseases, it is most cost effective to screen people who are thought to be at a higher risk. But first we must be sure that we know who is at higher risk.
If you think you may be at higher than average risk, talk to your doctor. For example, you may have a medical condition that increases your risk of anal cancer. If your doctor agrees that you are at a higher risk, he or she may be able to give you regular check ups.
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