Anal cancer can be mistakenly diagnosed as hemorrhoid even by experienced doctors. Symptoms like bleeding or pain and change in bowel movement are often the warning signs of both making it harder how to differentiate haemorrhoid and anal cancer.
Hemorrhoids are swollen tissues at the anus. They can be inflamed which causes them to protrude and cause an uncomfortable sensation. Hemorrhoids contain veins and can develop clotting. One theory that proposes the cause of this condition is that when hard stool is being passed through the anal canal, the pulling pushes the hemorrhoidal tissue downwards. This condition mostly affects older people because the tissue anchoring the hemorrhoids loses their support and deteriorates. It has been theorized that people who acquire low amount of fibre are at higher risk to develop this problem because their stool will contain less water and thus making it hard to pass in the anus.
Hemorrhoids are discovered in various ways. People usually feel a lump in their anus or see drops of blood in the toilet bowl after bowel movement. Whether there are hemorrhoids found, if there is anal bleeding, the colon has to be examined to exclude other causes aside from hemorroids such as anal cancer. Doctors can diagnose a patient based on careful anus examination where a sample scraping is studied.
Unlike hemorrhoid, anal cancer is caused by uncontrollable cell growth in the anus. However, the question of how to differentiate the hemorrhoidal disease and anal caner is harder to answer since they typically have similar symptoms like lumps around the anus which can be easily mistaken as hemorrhoids. Symptoms of anal cancer that is different from an hemorrhoidal crisis is back pain, bloating and vaginal dryness for women.
One of the ways on how to differentiate the hemorrhoidal disease and anal cancer is by their risk factors. Anal cancer can be transmitted via sexual partner. This is linked to receptive anal intercourse. People who receive anal intercourse have a 90% of developing anal cancer. People who also have HIV or AIDS and are taking immunosuppressant medications have a higher risk of acquiring anal cancer. Harmful chemicals from smoking can weaken the immune system making the body more susceptible to the disease.
Anal cancer can be diagnosed by rectal examination where a protoscope is used to allow the doctor to examine the affected area thoroughly. The procedure can be uncomfortable but it is seldom painful. A tissue sample can also be sent to the lab for testing. Cancerous tissue can be detected through this method. Biopsy is needed before confirming the diagnosis of anal cancer. Treatment for anal cancer is far different from hemorrhoids. Tis condition can be treated by over-the-counter medicine like gels and other local anaesthetics to relieve the pain.
Most patients do not even need to go through surgery. Treatment for anal cancer is more serious. The condition of the patient is evaluated before coming up with an appropriate treatment. The most common treatment includes the removal of the tumour through surgery like resection. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy are needed to destroy the cancer cells. The combination of these treatment results to higher cure rates.
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