By TSC Staff

Sometimes we pause to pay tribute to survivors and thrivers who face daunting challenges like cancer and who ultimately succumb to the disease.

Actress Farrah Fawcett is reportedly unconscious in a Los Angeles hospital, surrounded by her family and friends, including Ryan O'Neal and son Redmond.  Her 91-year-old father is reportedly rushing to her bedside to bid farewell.

The 62-year-old star of the hit TV show Charlie's Angels has battled anal cancer since 2006.  After undergoing chemotherapy and radiation, Fawcett was declared cancer-free in February 2007. However, in May 2007, the cancer returned.  She recently returned from Germany where she received experimental stem cell treatments.  Apparently, the disease has spread to her liver and treatments have ended.

Anal cancer is quite rare.  Last year, there were approximately 5,000 new cases in the United States and around 700 deaths because of the disease. According to the American Cancer Society, "while anal cancer is a serious disease, treatment is very effective. Most people with this cancer can be cured."

What follows are some questions and answers about anal cancer: 

The Survivors Club

Anal Cancer Q&A

Q: What is anal cancer?

A: Anal cancer is a rare type of cancer, according to the National Institutes of Health.  The anus is where stool leaves your body when you go to the bathroom. It is made up of your outer layers of skin and the end of your large intestine. Anal cancer is a disease in which cancer cells form in the tissues of the anus.

Q: What is the survival rate?

A: The overall five-year survival rate following diagnosis of anal cancer is 60% for men and 71% for women, according to the American Cancer Society.  When the cancer is diagnosed in its earliest stage, five-year survival is 82%. If it has spread to surrounding lymph nodes, five-year survival drops to 60%. And when it has spread to distant organs, about one in five patients lives for five years or more.

Q: What are the risk factors for anal cancer? 

A: According to the American Cancer Society, they include:

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection: Most squamous cell anal cancers seem to be linked to infection by the human papilloma virus (HPV), the same virus thought to cause cervical cancer. There are several subtypes of the virus, but the one most likely to cause anal cancer is called HPV-16. This virus is most often spread by sexual contact and is more likely to be found in people who have had many sex partners. Different subtypes of HPV can cause genital warts (condylomas), but most people infected with HPV do not have genital warts.

Sexual activity: Having multiple sex partners is a risk factor. Another risk factor is anal intercourse for both men and women, particularly younger than the age of 30.

Smoking: Smoking also increases the risk of anal cancer. Current smokers are several times more likely to have cancer of the anus compared with people who do not smoke. Quitting smoking will reduce the risk. People who used to smoke but have quit are only slightly more likely to develop this cancer compared with people who never smoked.

Lowered immunity/HIV infection: Higher rates of anal cancer occur among people with reduced immunity, such as people who have had an organ transplant and must take medicines that suppress their immune system. Another important risk factor is infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS. But effective drug treatment for HIV hasn't lowered the anal cancer rate in people infected with HIV.

Q: Can anal cancer be prevented?  

A: According to the American Cancer Society, since the cause of many cases of anal cancer is unknown and some people with anal cancer have no known risk factors, it is not possible to prevent this disease completely.

The best way to reduce the risk of developing anal cancer is to avoid sexual practices that carry a high risk of HPV infection and HIV infection, particularly having multiple partners and having unprotected anal sex.

Infection with HPV increases the risk of developing anal cancer. Condoms provide some, but not total, protection from HPV. This is because HPV can pass from person to person by skin-to-skin contact with any area of the body, such as skin of the genital or anal area not covered by the condom.

The lack of visible warts does not mean a person is not infected with HPV, and it can be passed from one person to another even when no warts or other symptoms can be seen. HPV can be present for years with no symptoms. For these reasons, it can be nearly impossible to know whether a potential sex partner is infected with HPV. Therefore, it is very important to use condoms to protect against AIDS and other diseases that are passed on through body fluids.

A vaccine is now available to help protect against infection with HPV subtypes 16 and 18 (as well as 6 and 11). It is currently recommended for use in young females before they become sexually active, and it is being looked at for possible use in males. While studies completed so far have concentrated on the vaccine's effectiveness against cervical pre-cancerous conditions, the hope is that this may eventually help prevent other cancers linked to HPV, including anal cancers.

Smoking is a known risk factor for anal cancer. Stopping smoking significantly reduces the risk of developing anal cancer and many other cancers.

For more information, click here for the National Cancer Institute's anal cancer home page.