Skip to Content. Use the menu to see other pages. People with anal cancer may experience the following symptoms or signs. Sometimes, people with anal cancer do not have any of these changes. Or, the cause of a symptom may be a different medical condition that is not cancer.
Sometimes anal cancer causes no symptoms at all. But bleeding is often the first sign of the disease. The bleeding is usually minor. At first, most people assume the bleeding is caused by hemorrhoids painful, swollen veins in the anus and rectum that may bleed. They are a benign and fairly common cause of rectal bleeding. Most often these types of symptoms are more likely to be caused by benign non-cancer conditions, like hemorrhoids, anal fissures, or anal warts.
Back to Health A to Z. The symptoms of anal cancer are often similar to more common and less serious conditions affecting the anus, such as piles haemorrhoids and small tears or sores called anal fissures. See a GP if you develop any of these symptoms. While they're unlikely to be caused by anal cancer, it's best to get them checked out. They may feel your tummy and carry out a rectal examination.
Anal cancer is a type of cancer that forms in tissues of the anus. The anus is the opening of the rectum to the outside of the body and at the end of the GI tract. Sometimes anal cancer causes no symptoms at all. But bleeding is often the first sign of the disease.