Difference between anal and rectal cancer

Can you address the difference between anal cancer and rectal cancer? Does squamous cell always mean the cancer is anal, even if found in the rectum? What if HPV is found in the tumor? Wouldn't this indicate the cancer came from a sexually transmitted virus? Anal cancer is a rare type of cancer that arises from the lining of the anus.

Actually, no. While colon and rectal cancers can be similar and are often referred to collectively as colorectal cancer, anal cancer is completely different in significant ways, including the cell type where cancer begins, the cause of the cancer, who gets this cancer, and how we treat it. Colorectal cancers, on the other hand, generally develop as a result of a sporadic mutation in the cells of the colon or rectal lining that causes a polyp, a small abnormal growth of tissue, to form. Left alone, these polyps can become cancerous. Find out your risk for developing certain cancers by taking our online screening assessment today! Blood in the stool or bleeding is a warning sign for all of these cancers.

Colon cancer and rectal cancer are often grouped together because they have a lot in common—including some symptoms—but they are different, depending on where they originate. The greatest difference lies is the anatomy of the body and gastrointestinal tract. While the colon and rectum are both part of the large intestine, the colon is approximately five feet long and the rectum is the last five to six inches of the colon that connects to the anus. There is a trend over the last few decades of slightly decreasing incidence in colon cancer in older individuals. However, there is a recent trend of increasing incidence of cancers of the distal colon and rectum in individuals under the age of

The inner lining of the anal canal is the mucosa. Most anal cancers start from cells in the mucosa. Glands and ducts tubes leading from the glands are found under the mucosa. The glands make mucus, which acts as a lubricating fluid. Anal cancers that start from cells in the glands are called adenocarcinomas.