Your ass on the line

Fighting anal cancer

by Shawn Syms, writing in Xtra.ca

[thanks for alerting LifeLube to your great article, Shawn!]

Are you a back-door man? Then you could be at risk for anal cancer.

Gay men are disproportionately likely to develop this otherwise uncommon condition — but the prognosis for prevention and treatment is good, as long as you're armed with knowledge and an appropriate level of medical support.

Certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV) can lead to anal cancer. HPV — the world's most common sexually transmitted infection — can block production of naturally occurring proteins. These proteins protect against the conditions in which anal cancer can arise, according to a report by Toronto cancer researcher Dr Irving Salit.

In particular, abnormal cells called anal dysplasia may appear — and when they cluster into visible lesions, they can become cancerous. Anal play, especially unprotected receptive sex, can expose you to HPV.

"Testing and treatment need to be made more available," says Duncan MacLachlan, gay men's outreach coordinator at the AIDS Committee of Toronto. "Gay men's health needs to be valued equally to teenage girls in Ontario with respect to the provision of the new HPV vaccine."

MacLachlan is referring to Gardasil, a vaccine that protects against the strains of HPV associated with cervical and anal cancers. The Ontario government launched a campaign this summer to vaccinate young girls before they are sexually active.

Read the rest.