Radiation induced carcinoma of the anus

The frequent use of radiation in the treatment of malignancy has resulted in an increased incidence of radiation induced tumours. The distal large bowel appears to be most vulnerable to this complication following radiation treatment to the pelvis. The anal canal is notably spared and radiation induced malignancy is very rare indeed. Only one such case appears in the world literature. We report a patient who developed such a tumour seven years following curative radiotherapy for a cervical carcinoma and succumbed to her anal tumour seven years later.