Anal cancer

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Survival rates

If anal cancer is caught while it is still small and has not spread, most people can be successfully treated and live many years, often with their usual control of their bowel movements. As the cancer grows deeper into the anal wall or spreads to other parts of the body, the chance of a cure becomes lower.

Survival statistics

To understand survival rates, experts study many people being treated for anal cancer and then report how many are living five years after their diagnosis.

Many people expect the anal cancer survival rates to be reported by numbered stages, from 1 to 4. But the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) reports survival rates by how far the cancer has spread. This is called summary staging, and the categories include localized, regional and distant anal cancer.

Stage 5-year survival rate
Localized: Cancer is only in the anal area. 85%
Regional: Cancer has spread to nearby tissues or lymph nodes. 70%
Distant: Cancer has spread to distant organs, such as the liver or lungs. 36%
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StagesDoctors & departments
Feb. 03, 2026

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