Can Anal Cancer Be Prevented
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 your risk of anal cancer is to avoid sexual practices that carry a high risk of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection (particularly in the anal area) and HIV infection. This means not having unprotected sex.
Infection with HPV increases the risk of developing anal cancer. Until recently, it was thought that the use of condoms (”rubbers”) could prevent infection with HPV. But recent research shows that condoms might not offer protection. This is because you can pass HPV from person to person by skin-to-skin contact with any HPV-infected area of the body, such as skin of the genital or anal area not covered by the condom. You cannot base your decision about whether or not to be careful on the lack of visible warts, because HPV can be passed on to another person even when no warts or other symptoms can be observed. HPV can be present for years with no symptoms. For these reasons, it can be very difficult or impossible to know whether a person with whom you might have sex is infected with HPV. It is still very important, though, to use condoms to protect against AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases that are passed on through body fluids.
If you stop smoking, you will also lower your risk of anal cancer, as well as many other cancers.
Sometimes there is nothing a person can do about certain diseases that affect their immune system. For many patients, a weakened immune system is an unavoidable side effect of treatment for some other disease.