What are the symptoms of anal tumors?

When we talk about possible diseases of the anus, what everyone thinks of is the pain that constipation brings to the anus. In fact, many reasons may cause some diseases to the anus. Anal tumor is one of them. When we find discomfort in the anus, we should go to the hospital for examination in time to avoid delaying the disease. Now let’s talk about the symptoms of anal tumor.

1. Symptom 1

The symptoms of perianal cancer are mostly non-specific, with blood in the stool, perianal itching and discomfort being common. The symptoms often occur intermittently and are therefore unlikely to alert the patient. 70% to 80% of perianal cancers were initially diagnosed as benign diseases. Bowen's disease is often accompanied by persistent perianal pruritus, and Paget's disease patients may be asymptomatic or present with perianal pruritus and hemorrhagic erythema. Perianal cancer is often associated with Paget's disease, leukoplakia, anal fissure, anal fistula, hemorrhoids and other diseases. Therefore, the diagnosis of perianal cancer is often difficult and misdiagnosis occurs. Due to these reasons, the disease cannot be diagnosed in time, which leads to rapid progression of the disease (60% to 70% of patients have a tumor diameter greater than 4 cm), followed by gradual appearance of defecation pain and changes in bowel habits, suggesting that the lesion damage is often already quite obvious. In the advanced stage, anal incontinence or recto-vaginal fistula may occur.

2. Symptom 2

Anal canal cancer often presents as anal canal invasive ulcers with a slightly hard texture at the edge of the ulcer. In the upper anal canal, the tumor may sometimes appear polyp-like, but invasive changes can still be seen around it.

3. Symptom three

Tumors occurring in the lower anal canal tend to progress rapidly and have obvious symptoms. An obvious mass may be seen in the anus, or the mass may be located in the posterior part of the vagina. The anus, distal rectum and other adjacent tissues and organs (such as the vagina, prostate, etc.) may also be involved. In 15% to 20% of patients, the tumor may involve the pelvic rectal space and may manifest as perianal abscess or fistula.

4. Symptom 4

Perianal cancer may also cause enlarged inguinal lymph nodes, which is sometimes the first manifestation, and the patient may not have any symptoms at this time. However, inguinal lymphadenopathy is often misdiagnosed as inflammatory lymphadenopathy or hernia, delaying the timely treatment of perianal cancer.