Epidermoid Cancer of Anal Margin and Canal

Abstract

Controversy still exists about the proper form of therapy for epidermoid carcinoma of the anus. Radiotherapy as the primary treatment,^12,14local excision for small carcinomas of the anal margin,^1,4,6and "prophylactic" groin dissections after abdominalperineal resection^3,5-9,11all have advocates. This study reports the experience with 79 persons treated for epidermoid carcinomas of the anus at the Ellis Fischel State Cancer Hospital and the Barnes Hospital from 1940 through 1957. A comparison of the various therapeutic methods used to treat these patients shows that abdominal-perineal resection was the most effective therapy employed. <h3>Material</h3> Data on the pathological anatomy, size of the primary tumors, host age and sex distributions, metastases, therapies employed, and host survival after treatment for the 79 epidermoid anal carcinomas studied are shown in Tables 1 to 5. All patients were followed five or more years after treatment orto death. All histological sections were re-examined