Carcinoma of the anal canal

During the period 1973 to 1982, 35 patients with carcinoma of the anal canal were seen at this hospital. The main form of treatment was abdominoperineal excision, unless specific contraindications to this procedure were present. Between 1982 and 1984, a further 18 such patients were seen; the primary method of treatment then was combination chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Abdominoperineal excision was reserved for those patients who failed to respond to therapy or whose carcinoma recurred during the period of follow-up. The over-all five-year survival rate for the first 35 patients was 50%; the actuarial disease-free survival at two years for those who went into complete remission was 78% in the 18 patients who were seen in the second part of the study. We conclude that conservative treatment by chemoradiation is of value in the management of anal carcinomas.