Latest news with #analcancer
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
I blamed an embarrassing symptom on menopause... it was actually stage 3 anal cancer
Julia DeVillers never imagined a common sexually transmitted infection she had in college would be the cause of her rare cancer decades later. DeVillers, an author, began experiencing random gushes of blood, seeing red in her underwear. She blamed the bleeding on early signs of menopause - as a woman in her fifties, she figured it was time. One day, she sat poolside and saw blood had soaked the towel beneath her. She said: 'I bled on it, and I thought, 'Wow, this brings me back to my pre-teen years of being traumatized when you get your fist period." I thought, 'This is a very dramatic period.'' Early symptoms of perimenopause, the period preceding menopause, include irregular bleeding of various flows and lengths - but what DeVillers didn't realize was that the bleeding was coming from her anus, not her vagina. She said: 'I didn't know the bleeding was coming from my tush. I thought I was getting my period again.' When she realized, however, she knew bleeding from the anus could be a sign of cancer. Doctors suspected a hemorrhoid to be the culprit, and performed surgery to remove it. But instead of finding swollen veins, doctors found two tumors. She had stage three anal cancer - a rare cancer linked to the STI human papillomavirus (HPV). 'It wasn't non-stop. All of a sudden, I would have a gush of blood. I really begged them to put me on a waiting list [for hemorrhoid removal surgery],' she told TODAY. Her surgery in May 2022 was expected to be a standard, straightforward procedure that would put an end to her suffering. 'When I came out of it, I was really groggy from the anesthesia, but I remember my husband was holding one hand and my doctor was holding the other hand,' DeVillers said. The anal cancer cells had migrated to her lymph nodes, making it stage 3. Between 40 and 70 percent of patients die within five years of being diagnosed with this stage of cancer. Anal cancer, which develops in the anal canal, is rare, with 10,540 new cases in 2024 and 2,190 deaths. It is different from colon or rectal cancer and is typically caused by an HPV infection. In an article DeVillers wrote for Newsweek, she said: 'I'd been married for a million years! But I also remembered back in college my gynecologist saying: "You have human papillomavirus (HPV), don't worry it's common, harmless, and will probably go away by itself."' Estimates suggest 80 percent of sexually active people will contract at least one HPV infection by 45. It is spread via skin-to-skin contact through vaginal, anal or oral sex. It often shows no symptoms. According to the CDC, more than 42million Americans are currently infected with the STI and it is estimated 13million people become infected annually. It is possible to fend off HPV and potentially related cancers with a vaccine for the virus that is 97 percent effective. Doctors prescribed DeVillers with aggressive IV chemotherapy, as well as radiation treatments and oral chemotherapy. Just before three weeks into her treatment and her second chemo infusion, she was doing well, but after her second infusion, she 'seemed to crash and burn,' she told TODAY. Her colon became twisted, causing excruciating pain. She vomited neon green bile and then collapsed in the emergency department. She ended up spending five weeks in the intensive care unit. Doctors noticed her blood cell counts had plummeted, and called her children because they were unsure how much time DeVillers had left. They also enlisted hospice care. 'That was horrible for my family,' she said, adding she could feel her body shutting down. 'I saw this dark tunnel and it had two pricks of white light,' DeVillers said. This lasted 'a day or two and I felt darkness. I was very depressed.' But she began to feel better after a blood transfusion. DeVillers had lost about 30 pounds and became weak and frail, but her cancer had not shrunk enough to get her closer to remission, and she still had to undergo radiation treatment. 'Even as sick as I was, they wheeled me into radiation,' she said. 'My radiologist, I'll forever be grateful for him. He said, 'If we stop now, it could come back. But if we keep going to radiation … that's what's going to get rid of the tumor.'' When her treatment ended in August 2022, doctors approached her with 'cautious good news.' There were no signs of cancer remaining, though they were still worried about a lymph node that had caused a lump in her abdomen. Six months later, though, she was cancer-free. It's been three years since her diagnosis and all of her tests continue to be normal. DeVillers felt embarrassed by her cancer at first. When people asked her about it, she said: ''Yeah, I've got tush cancer.'' 'Anything so I didn't have to say anal and then I learned anal cancer is a different animal from rectal or colon cancer.' Now, she's joined the board of the HPV Cancer Alliance to remove the stigma and raise awareness of HPV-related cancers. She said: 'Women get it. Men get it. It's all directly related to getting HPV.'
Medscape
16-05-2025
- Business
- Medscape
Retifanlimab Wins Upfront Indication for Anal Cancer
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved two new indications for the PD-1-blocking antibody, retifanlimab-dlwr (Zynyz, Incyte), both for locally recurrent or metastatic squamous cell anal carcinoma. The first indication is for upfront treatment of inoperable disease in combination with carboplatin and paclitaxel; the second is as monotherapy following progression on or intolerance to platinum-based chemotherapy. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network recommends other PD-1 blockers for second line treatment of anal cancer, but retifanlimab-dlwr is the first one to win a formal first-line indication. Until now, standard upfront treatment has been limited to chemotherapy. 'This approval marks an important advancement as it makes a new treatment approach available for this challenging cancer,' Marwan Fakih, MD, an Incyte researcher and medical gastrointestinal oncologist at City of Hope, Los Angeles, said in a company press release. Retifanlimab-dlwr was previously approved in 2023 for metastatic or recurrent locally advanced Merkel cell carcinoma. The new first-line anal cancer indication with carboplatin and paclitaxel was based on the POD1UM-303/InterAACT 2 trial in 308 chemotherapy-naive, inoperable subjects, including some with well-controlled HIV infection. Patients in this trial were randomized to retifanlimab-dlwr 500 mg IV every 4 weeks or placebo on a background of carboplatin and paclitaxel for six cycles. Median progression-free survival was 9.3 months with retifanlimab-dlwr vs 7.4 months with placebo. Overall survival (OS) assessment is ongoing, but on interim analysis, median OS was 29.2 months in the retifanlimab-dlwr arm vs 23 months, with 45% of placebo patients moving onto retifanlimab-dlwr after disease progression. OS results were not statistically significant. Approval for the second-line monotherapy indication was based on the single-arm POD1UM-202 trial in 94 patients with disease progression on or intolerance to platinum-based chemotherapy. The dosage was again 500 mg IV every 4 weeks. The overall response rate was 14%, and the median duration of response was 9.5 months. Serious adverse reactions occurred in 47% of patients who received retifanlimab-dlwr with chemotherapy. The most common were sepsis, pulmonary embolism, diarrhea, and vomiting, according to the company press release. In the monotherapy study, serious adverse reactions occurred in 40% of patients, the company press release says. The most frequent, in 2% or more, were non-urinary tract infection, perineal pain, abdominal pain, anemia, hemorrhage, diarrhea, pyrexia, urinary tract infection, musculoskeletal pain, and dyspnea. The approved dose is the same as in the trials, 500 mg IV every 4 weeks until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity for up to 12 months in the first line indication and for up to 24 months in the second new indication. The cost of a single 500 mg/20 mL dose is $15,748.45, according to Incyte has a program called IncyteCARES that offers financial assistance and other support for those who qualify. Information is available at or by calling 1-855-452-5234.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New Research Reveals Which Women Face Highest Anal Cancer Risk—And It's Not Who You'd Expect
New research presented at Digestive Disease Week 2025 reveals a surprising shift in anal cancer trends that challenges previous assumptions about who's at highest risk. While anal cancer remains relatively rare—accounting for approximately 1% of all gastrointestinal cancers—rates are steadily increasing across the United States, with the most dramatic rises occurring among women over 65, particularly in white and Hispanic populations. The study, led by Dr. Ashley Robinson of Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, analyzed data from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database from 2017 to 2021. Researchers found that anal cancer increased by 2.9% annually for women compared to 1.6% for men during this period. Related: Key Findings for Women's Health White women over 65 experienced the most significant increase, with rates climbing 4.3% annually to reach 11.4 cases per 100,000 by 2021. Hispanic women in the same age group had the second-highest incidence, with 7.5 cases per 100,000 and an annual growth rate of 1.7%. If these trends continue, researchers project that anal cancer incidence in women over 65 would double in less than 17 years—a concerning projection that highlights the need for increased awareness among both healthcare providers and patients. The HPV Connection According to the research team, approximately 90% of anal cancers are linked to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Dr. Robinson noted that most women now experiencing rising anal cancer rates were beyond the recommended age for HPV vaccination when it first became widely available, leaving them vulnerable to infections that may have occurred decades ago. Related: "While the exact reasons behind this trend remain unclear, most older women were beyond the recommended age for human papillomavirus vaccination when it first became widely available," explained Dr. Robinson in her presentation. Screening Gap for Older Women Current guidelines recommend screening for anal HPV, dysplasia, and cancer only for certain high-risk groups, including individuals with HIV, bone marrow transplant recipients, and other immunocompromised populations. Notably absent from these recommendations are older women, despite the rising rates identified in this study. This gap in screening guidelines means that many women at increasing risk may not receive early detection that could lead to better outcomes. The research team suggests that healthcare providers should consider these findings when evaluating patients who might benefit from targeted screening. Prevention Remains Key While these findings are concerning, Dr. Robinson emphasized that prevention through HPV vaccination remains the most effective strategy for reducing anal cancer risk in future generations. The HPV vaccine, recommended for children and young adults, protects against the strains of HPV most commonly associated with anal cancer. "It's crucial that we promote HPV vaccination as a key tool for preventing anal cancer, while also keeping healthcare providers informed as screening guidelines evolve," she stated. Related: As research continues to refine our understanding of anal cancer risk factors and demographics, experts recommend that women discuss any unusual symptoms with their healthcare providers and that parents ensure their children receive HPV vaccination at the recommended ages. For women beyond vaccination age, awareness of symptoms and regular healthcare visits remain important protective measures as the medical community works to update screening guidelines based on this evolving understanding of who's at risk. Up Next:
