Definition
Anal cancer is a squamous cell cancer of the anal canal and perianal region that is very similar biologically to cervical cancer in terms of its association with oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV), particularly HPV 16. Like cervical cancer, anal cancer occurs most often in a squamocolumnar transformation zone and is preceded by squamous intraepithelial lesions. The incidence of anal cancer is considerably higher in HIV-infected men and women than in the general population and has increased since the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy. Now one of the most common cancers occurring in HIV-positive men and women, and unlike most other cancers occurring in the HIV-positive population, anal cancer is also potentially preventable through primary prevention (vaccination against HPV) and secondary prevention (screening for and removal of high-grade anal squamous intraepithelial lesions).
Introduction
Recently, malignancies have become one of the most common causes...
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Palefsky, J. (2018). Anal Cancer. In: Hope, T.J., Richman, D.D., Stevenson, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of AIDS. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7101-5_7
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