Giant malignant tumors of the anus. A strategy for management

Four homosexual male patients with giant anal carcinomas, ranging from 10 to 17 cm in diameter, are presented. These patients were not candidates for abdominoperineal resection because of fixation to adjacent structures. Common symptoms included pain, sepsis, anemia, incontinence, and weight loss. Diverting colostomy was performed in all patients. Two of the four patients were treated by wide local excision of the tumors for palliation. Two patients were treated with chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Three of the four patients died within 12 months. The authors conclude that diverting colostomy and wide local excision of giant anal cancers offer effective palliation of local wound problems in selected cases.