Treatment for anal cancer
The healthcare professionals looking after you meet regularly as a team, called a multidisciplinary team (MDT). They'll look at your test results and your general health and talk about which treatments may be suitable for you.
You will have an appointment with a member of the team to talk about your test results and the benefits and risks of the treatment options. You may be offered more than one of these treatments.
Anal cancer is different from bowel (colorectal) cancer and has a different treatment pathway.
Chemoradiation
The most common treatment for anal cancer is radiotherapy along with chemotherapy. This is known as chemoradiation.
Radiotherapy uses repeated treatments of high energy X-rays in small doses to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. The most common chemotherapy combinations for treatment of anal cancer is mitomycin C and fluorouracil (5FU) or mitomycin C and capecitabine (Xeloda®).
You may have radiotherapy or chemotherapy on its own.
Side effects
All treatments carry a risk of side effects. Your healthcare team will explain the benefits and risks of your treatment and give you information about the possible side effects. They won’t be able to tell you in advance which ones you will get, or how long they’ll last.
Surgery
Surgery may be an option for people with cancer in the lower part of the anus, known as the anal margin.
You may also have surgery if the chemoradiation did not remove of all the cancer, or if your cancer comes back after having chemoradiation.
Some people may need a stoma after surgery. A stoma is where a section of bowel is brought out through an opening on your stomach area (abdomen). Poo (waste) is collected in a bag attached to the skin around your stoma.
Your surgeon will tell how likely you are to need a stoma. They may not know for certain whether you'll need a stoma until they've started your operation.
More information
The Anal Cancer Foundation provides support and information for people living with or affected by anal cancer.
Macmillan Cancer Support has more information on treatment of anal cancer and a forum where you can speak to people who have been affected by anal cancer.
Updated November 2025
Next review November 2028
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