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Anal cancer

Julesb
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Hi There,

I was diagnosed with stage 2 anal cancer on 27th September, it does not appear to have spread to mmy lymph nodes but awaiting PET scan for 100% confirmation as i understand it?

I now have to wait 3 more weeks before starting my treatment of chemoradiotherapy over 5 weeks. I have read that this can be quite painful due to the radiotherapy making the anus and vagina quite sore, however i have only seen posts from people who have experienced this treatment from 2010 or 2011 so unsure if treatment has advanced somewhat since then to make the treatment less painful. I feel the doctors are playing it down somewhat.

They have told me that if the treatment works i will not have to have an operation and therefore no colostomy bag, but of course we have to see how it goes.

This waiting is driving me nuts as i just want to get on with it and get rid of the horrible symptoms but i understand they need to get the treatment spot on.

Has anyone experienced this type of cancer and treatment recently?

Thanks

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    My husband finished his treatment for anal cancer 3 months ago. We are just waiting for the follow up scan. He was the same stage you are T2N0M0 and was told if successful he would avoid surgery. 

    He was generally ok the first couple of weeks of treatment but then he started getting more pain when going to the toilet. His skin didn’t break down until the last week of treatment and then it only broke down in his groin, not his anus or anywhere else. The radiologists gave us Cavlon spray which is like a protective barrier on the skin and also instillagel which has local anaesthetic in and can be squirted inside. It stung a bit at first but then did help. 

    After a couple of weeks post treatment, the skin healed and pain reduced. I was kind of expecting much worse - although it wasn’t a walk in the park - but we coped. 

    I hope this helps 

    x

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