Current status and advances of therapy for anal canal cancer / 肿瘤研究与临床

ABSTRACT

Objective To summarize the current status and development of therapy for anal canal cancer. Methods Application of Medline database and CHKD database, with "anal canal cancer", "chemotherapy", "radiotherapy", "abdominoperineal resection" as key words search literature about anal canal cancer published from January 1996 to June 2009. Retrieval criteria the epidemiology of anal canal cancer; the etiology of anal canal cancer; the clinical manifestation and classification of anal canal cancer; strategies and development of therapy for anal canal cancer. Sixty-seven of them met the retrieval criteria, while finally 22 related papers were analyzed. Results Over the last 30 years, treatment of anal canal cancer has undergone a profound evolution. Combined-modality treatment combined with chemoradiotherapy (CRT), including three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT), intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), novel anti-tumor agent and salvage surgery, had resulted in a 5-year survival rate of approximately 80 %. Conclusion Anal canal cancer is a rare tumor. CRT has replaced surgery as the first choice of anal canal cancer. The development of molecular biology will likely lead to further proposals for trials of anal canal cancer.