Anal Cancer Treatment

While community cancer centers might see a handful of patients with anal cancer a year, Winship Cancer Institute annually cares for more than a hundred. We have the knowledge and expertise to treat your cancer.

Because every case of anal cancer is different, there is no single anal cancer treatment plan that works for everyone. The gastrointestinal cancer experts at Winship use the latest technology and advanced testing to analyze your particular cancer at every level. Your team of physicians — including your radiation oncologist, medical oncologist, surgeon and more — will meet to determine the best course of treatment for your anal cancer. This enables your care team to develop a plan to treat your cancer as aggressively as possible all while minimizing side effects.

Once your personalized anal cancer treatment plan is created, your team will discuss it with you and treatment at Winship will be scheduled right away. We will even work with you and your local doctors in the event you decide to stay closer to home for treatment. Our ultimate goal is to ensure that you get your cancer treated the way it needs to be, wherever that is.

Winship is Georgia’s only National Cancer Institute–designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, and we participate in hundreds of clinical trials each year. In fact, many of the drugs used to treat cancer today came out of clinical trials performed at Winship, which means our patients were some of the first to benefit. In other words, we can offer you access to the latest anal cancer treatment you won’t find at other cancer centers.

At Winship, we offer the most comprehensive array of anal cancer treatment options in Georgia and the expertise to treat this complex disease. Based on your unique cancer, your treatment plan may include:

Chemoradiation

The primary treatment for non-metastatic anal cancer is combination chemotherapy and radiation. During the treatment, which typically lasts five to six weeks, you’ll receive powerful drugs while also undergoing radiation therapy. This type of therapy continues working even after the treatment phase has ended. Patients are then evaluated about six months later to determine if any cancer remains. Chemoradiation requires coordination by a close-knit multidisciplinary team. At Winship, your medical oncologist, radiation oncologist and supportive care team will work in lockstep to ensure that you receive the most powerful therapy possible while minimizing treatment side effects.

Proton Therapy

For patients who have previously received radiation therapy to the pelvis, proton therapy may be the best form of radiation in combination with chemotherapy. Winship is the only cancer center in Georgia and one of an elite group in the nation to offer proton therapy, a powerful and precise form of radiation therapy that delivers a high dose of radiation to a tumor while limiting damage to surrounding healthy tissue.

Surgery

For a small percentage of patients, their anal cancer treatment plan will include surgery to remove their tumor. Because the sphincter is such a critical structure, it’s important to have surgery at a high-volume center like Winship. Our surgical oncologists are experts in anal cancer resection and perform more surgeries to remove anal cancers than anywhere else in the state.

Targeted Therapy

This type of drug therapy is different from chemotherapy in that it targets a cancer’s specific gene mutations. Winship is currently participating in multiple large-scale clinical trials utilizing targeted therapy and, depending on how the genomic profile changes during the course of treatment, can match patients whose cancer has mutated with additional therapies.

Immunotherapy

This type of anal cancer treatment uses drugs to help your body’s immune system recognize and enhance its ability to attack cancer cells. Winship is one of the centers pioneering the use of immunotherapies. Besides leading immunotherapy clinical trials for gastrointestinal cancers, Winship has an entire immunotherapy research program that is advancing the world’s understanding of how our immune systems can be harnessed to fight cancer.

At Winship, we strive to deliver the most effective treatment while also minimizing side effects. But coping with anal cancer and anal cancer treatment is difficult, particularly for patients whose advanced anal cancers are removed surgically and require colostomy bags. That’s why we have a supportive oncology team of specialized doctors and nurses on staff to help you with the physical, psychological and emotional aspects of living with cancer, including symptom management and counseling. This team — with the help of counselors, nurse navigators, dietitians and social service professionals — will be with you every step of the way, supporting you during your experience and beyond.