Research and clinical trials for anal cancer
Go to Cancer Research UK’s clinical trials database if you are looking for a trial for anal cancer in the UK. You need to talk to your specialist if there are any trials that you think you might be able to take part in.
Find a clinical trial for anal cancer
All cancer treatments must be fully researched before they can be used for everyone. This is so we can be sure that:
they work
they work better than the treatments already available
they are safe
To make sure the research is accurate, each trial has certain entry conditions for who can take part. These are different for each trial.
Hospitals do not take part in every clinical trial. Some trials are only done in a small number of hospitals, or in one area of the country. You may need to travel quite far if you take part in these trials.
Read about who can take part in a clinical trial
Some of the research on this page has now stopped asking people to take part. But it takes time before the results are available. This is because the research teams follow the people taking part for a period of time to collect and analyse the information.
We have included information about these to give examples of the types of research being carried out.
Having and together (chemoradiotherapy) is a common treatment for anal cancer.
Many people have chemoradiotherapy as their first treatment. But some people may have chemoradiotherapy after surgery to remove the cancer. This may be if they have a stage 1 anal cancer and their doctor thinks there are still some cancer cells in the area. Or they are worried about the cancer coming back.
Researchers want to see if they can stop the cancer coming back by giving:
a lower dose of chemoradiotherapy - this is for people who have cancer cells close to the area removed during surgery
regular follow up appointments instead of chemoradiotherapy - this is for people who don't have cancer cells close to the area removed
Read more about chemoradiotherapy for anal cancer
Human papilloma virus (HPV) is a common infection. It can be passed from one person to another by sexual contact. For most people the virus causes no harm and goes away without treatment. But people with HPV have an increased risk of developing anal cancer. There are different types of HPV. Type 16 (HPV16) is the most common in anal cancer.
Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is one of the building blocks of our cells. RNA vaccines are made in a laboratory with bits of RNA that are usually found in cancer cells. The vaccine helps the immune system to recognise and attack cancer cells. These vaccines are different to the ones used to protect us from disease.
Researchers are looking at a vaccine to treat people with anal cancer that has both:
tested positive to HPV16
come back after treatment
They want to find out how well it works and the best dose to use. They also want to know about any side effects of the treatment
Read more about vaccines to treat cancer
Immunotherapy uses our immune system to fight cancer. It works by helping the immune system recognise and attack cancer cells.
Researchers are looking at immunotherapy as a treatment for lots of different cancers. This includes anal cancer. In the UK, they are studying how well some new immunotherapy drugs might work:
on their own
in combination with other immunotherapy drugs
Researchers want to find out if it is safe to add an immunotherapy drug to standard chemoradiotherapy for anal cancer. They hope that having a drug called pembrolizumab as well as chemoradiotherapy will improve treatment.
Find out more about pembrolizumab
The chemotherapy combination of carboplatin and paclitaxel are usually the for anal cancer that has spread elsewhere in the body. Or that has come back after treatment and cannot be removed with surgery.
Researchers are looking at whether this combination works better if they add an immunotherapy drug called retifanlimab.
Unfortunately, chemoradiotherapy to treat anal cancer can cause bowel problems. This is because the radiotherapy causes a thickening of the tissue in the treatment area. The thickening makes the tissue less stretchy. Doctors call this radiation fibrosis.
Palm oil supplement is made from a vegetable oil that comes from the fruit of oil palm trees. And pentoxifylline is used to treat poor blood flow in the arms and legs. Researchers hope that a combination of palm oil and pentoxifylline will reduce fibrosis and improve symptoms.
Read more about long term side effects of radiotherapy for anal cancer
Anal cancer is a rare cancer. Find out more about our research into rare cancers. This includes our current and past research, and stories from people with a rare cancer.
Last reviewed: 07 May 2025
Next review due: 07 May 2028
Clinical trials are medical research studies involving people. They help us to understand more about cancer and how we treat it.
Search for clinical trials with Cancer Research UK. Clinical trials are medical research studies involving people.
If you see a trial on our database that you are interested in, you will usually need to discuss it with your own doctor or cancer specialist.
Treatments include radiotherapy with chemotherapy (chemoradiotherapy) and surgery. For advanced cancer you might have chemotherapy or radiotherapy on their own.
If you have anal cancer, there can be practical and emotional changes you may need help and support to cope with.
Anal cancer is cancer that starts in the anus. The anus is also called the anal canal.
About Cancer generously supported by Dangoor Education since 2010. Learn more about Dangoor Education
Search our clinical trials database for all cancer trials and studies recruiting in the UK.
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