In response to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the ANCHOR study team has advised local site staff to contact ANCHOR participants who are scheduled to be seen in the next 4 weeks about whether they should come in for their appointment. If you do not hear from your site’s study staff, please reach out to them. If you are waiting to be screened for the ANCHOR study, please be patient- we WILL see you as soon as we possibly can, once it is safe to do so. In the meantime, please contact your local ANCHOR site if you have any questions or concerns.
Awareness, surveillance key to early detection, better prognosis in fight against anal cancer
August 9, 2016
Anal cancer is a subject most people would rather not discuss, because of its anatomical location, along with an unfortunate stigma attached to the malignancy.
Although tragic, actress Farrah Fawcett’s openness about her diagnosis in 2006 helped create much-needed public awareness about the malady during her 11-year battle with the disease which she lost in 2015 at the age of 62.
Closer to home, a 51-year-old White Center resident named Ed was impressed with Fawcett’s openness and advocacy. He now feels very fortunate that he listened to his physician and decided to have an anal Pap smear following many years of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) treatment and participation in a surveillance program. Despite having put off the screening for a few months, Ed knew that since he had HIV — and, as a result, a compromised immune system — he was at higher risk for HPV (human papillomavirus), lesions and anal cancer. Read on