Anal Cancer Treatment

Surgery

Local resection: A surgical procedure in which the tumor is cut from the anus along with some of the healthy tissue around it. Local resection may be used if the cancer is small and has not spread.
Abdominoperineal resection: A surgical procedure in which the anus, the rectum, and part of the sigmoid colon are removed through an incision made in the abdomen. The doctor sews the end of the intestine to an opening, called a stoma, made in the surface of the abdomen so body waste can be collected in a disposable bag outside of the body. This is called a colostomy.

Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing.
Radiation therapy is used together with chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping the cells from dividing. When chemotherapy is taken by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle, the drugs enter the bloodstream and can reach cancer cells throughout the body (systemic chemotherapy).
Chemotherapy is used together with radiation therapy.

Immunotherapy is a treatment that uses the patient's immune system to fight cancer.
Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy is a type of immunotherapy.
These drugs remove the brakes from our immune system and allow the immune system to attack cancer cells.
Pembrolizumab and nivolumab are types of immune checkpoint inhibitors.
These are used to treat recurrent or widespread anal cancers (Stage IV).