Finding a provider who knows how to screen for anal precancer is a great step to learning more about your anal health. Locate a provider near you here.
- How do I find a provider who screens for anal precancer?
- What is HPV and what role does it play in anal cancer?
- My loved one has been diagnosed with anal cancer. How do I help?
- How do I find support?
- How do I manage anal cancer treatment side effects?
- What is anal cancer?
- Do ACF Volunteers help people at any cancer stage and/or post-treatment?
- What issues do support seekers (Thrivers and Caregivers) discuss with Volunteers? What kind of help can Volunteers give?
- What communication methods do Thrivers, Caregivers and ACF Volunteers use?
- How long does it take for someone to get connected to an ACF Volunteer?
HPV (Human Papillomavirus) is a skin virus that is transmitted through intimate contact. HPV can be either low-risk or high-risk. High-risk strains may result in 6 different HPV-related cancers including anal cancer. To learn more about HPV and HPV-related cancers, click here.
Going through an anal cancer diagnosis with a loved one can be very difficult and you may not know where to start. Learn more about anal cancer here and access the resources you need during this time here.
It may be difficult to locate the necessary information and resources needed to go through an anal cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Anal Cancer Foundation provides resources like our Peer to Peer Support Program and links to other helpful programs
to help you navigate your diagnosis and treatments. Click here to learn more.
Treatment can bring on immediate side effects, long-term side effects, as well as late effects that occur long after treatment has concluded. Because of this, it is important to understand how treatment can affect your body and how best to manage the changes that occur. For more information on side-effects and how to manage them, click here.
Anal cancer is a disease that occurs in the anus and about 8,300 people in the US and 1,500 in the UK will be diagnosed with anal cancer in 2015. While anal cancer is uncommon, the number of people diagnosed with this is steadily increasing. To learn more about anal cancer and anal cancer treatment, click here.
Yes, connections are available for anyone at any point in their cancer experience. From newly diagnosed, to in treatment, to post-treatment, to post post-treatment, anal cancer Thrivers and their Caregivers are in need of support. We seek to provide support at any stage of your cancer journey.
The relationship between a support seeker and an ACF Volunteer is a natural, friendly mentorship that is supportive in nature. ACF Volunteers never dispense any medical advice or try to diagnose a medical problem. ACF Volunteers listen, question and help thrivers through their cancer journey by sharing their own experiences. Conversation topics might include:
- What treatments and side effects feel like in the Volunteer’s experience
- Tips on dealing with side effects
- Pain issues
- Stigma and social experiences relating to the diagnosis
- Experience navigating the medical system
- Support from family and friends
Together an ACF Volunteer and Thriver or Caregiver decide the best method(s) of contact that works for both the support seeker and the Volunteer. Communication with a Volunteer is often a progression of comfort on both sides. Some examples include:
- Telephone
- Text Messaging
- Video Chat
- Social Media (with both parties ensuring the messages are private)
- In Person Face-to-Face
Anal Cancer Foundation (“ACF”) recognizes there is an urgency for cancer patients (we call them “Thrivers”) and cancer caregivers (“Caregivers”) seeking support. Our goal is to find and match Thrivers and Caregivers with an ACF Volunteer within one week of completing registration.
