Anal Cancer Test Could Save Lives

Yeah, yeah. It's kind of funny to say "anal," but this is a real health issue for gay men. At my gym a few months ago I ran into an acquaintance I hadn't seen in months. He looked terrible. I asked him where he'd been, and he told me he had cancer, anal cancer, and had been in chemotherapy.

That was the first time I had heard of anal cancer, but since then it keeps cropping up in the news. Gardisil, the vaccine that protects women from cervical cancer, may also protect gay men from anal cancer. Pink News is reporting both on a new test to diagnose anal cancer and on new gay-focused Gardisil studies:

A new test that will detect the early signs of a cancer that is prevalent among gay men has been devised. The incidence of anal cancer is estimated as 37 per 100,000 in gay men. For gay men who are HIV-positive, the incidence is about twice as great – around 75 per 100,000.

"For gay and bisexual men who are at risk of anal cancer, these tests are an important medical breakthrough. They will help save lives. With this reliable screening test, signs of anal cancer will be detected earlier, leading to speedier, more effective treatment."

The research, carried out at the MRC Cancer Cell Unit in Cambridge, explores using minichromosome maintenance proteins (MCMs) to detect pre-cancerous and cancerous cells in the anus.

. . . "Two decades ago, I deduced that if the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) causes cervical cancer in women, it must also have the potential to cause anal cancer in people who have anal sex, especially gay and bisexual men."

Continued after the jump.

"I lobbied the UK government for two decades to take action but was constantly rebuffed. The British Medical Journal and The Lancet declined to report the issue and Cancer Research UK dismissed it.

"We must also continue to raise awareness of the disease, particularly among people in high risk groups such as gay and bisexual men so they can take action if they have symptoms."

Last year PinkNews.co.uk reported that private clinics in London have been injecting gay men with a vaccine designed to reduce the risk of cervical cancer. The Gardsil vaccine provides protection from human papillomavirus (HPV) which causes the cancer as well as anal warts and cancer of the penis and anus.

The BBC reports that clinics in London have been charging gay men £450 for a three-dose course of Gardsil.

Roger Pebody, treatments manager at sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust, said it was unclear if the vaccine would be appropriate for adult gay males. "It may be of use but we need to see some research first - so far the research has been on women," he told PinkNews.co.uk. "There is a study going in America now which includes gay men."

It is likely that many sexually active gay men will already have PVT, so a vaccination would not prevent them contracting it.