What Causes Anal Cancer?

The world is shocked when Farrah Fawcett succumed to anal cancer last Wednesday, June 25, 2009. This incident has opened up important issues on what anal cancer is all about, how one gets it (causes) and how to cure or treat it. But after reading several literatures about anal cancer all of them points to human papillomvirus HPV as a number risk factor for this type of cancer.

Human Papillommavirus (HPV) is the same virus that affects millions of women suffering from cervical cancer. There is quite a good indication that HPV actually produces a lot of diseases particularly among women. The good news is, there is an existing HPV vaccine to protect yourself from cervical cancer and eventually from anal cancer caused by human papillomavirus. Sexual activity, smoking, immunosuppression (as in the case of people with HIV), and lesions such as hemorrhoids are probable cause of anal cancer.

I just hope that the medical community will be able to give more light as to the cause of anal cancer and how the public can avoid this disease. We can only hope and pray that someday, cancer will just be a thing of the past.