Women have undergone Pap smears to detect cancerous or precancerous changes in cervical cells for decades. The Pap smear has helped drastically lower the rates of cervical cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, regular Pap tests decrease cervical cancer incidence and mortality by at least 80%.
Both cervical cancer and anal cancer are caused by a strain of the human papillomavirus (HPV). Now there’s a similar test to detect cancerous and precancerous changes in the anus. Called an anal Pap smear, this simple test could save your life.
At Colon and Rectal Surgeons of Greater Hartford, our colon and anal health experts urge you to get an anal Pap smear if you’re at high risk for anal cancer. We administer this safe, fast, painless test at our offices in Bloomfield, South Windsor, and Plainville, Connecticut.
Do you need an anal Pap smear? Here’s some information on when you might, and what happens when you get one.
Although anal cancer is fairly rare, it strikes both men and women. In fact, more women than men are diagnosed and die from anal cancer. In 2024, 3,360 men and 7,180 women were diagnosed with anal cancer in the United States. Approximately 1,000 men and 1,190 women died from it.
The average risk for getting anal cancer is only 1 in 500. However, your chances go up if you’re in a high-risk group, such as:
Rates of anal cancer have risen over the years, especially in White women and Black men. However, treatment has improved, as have survival rates. When caught early enough, anal cancer can sometimes be cured.
If you’re a woman, the procedure for an anal Pap smear will seem familiar to you from your cervical Pap smears. Basically, it’s a fast and easy test that doesn’t require any preparation on your part. Just take a shower the night before or morning of your test. You don’t have to change your diet or do anything else.
While you lie prone (i.e., stomach down) on the examination table, we apply an antiseptic around your anus and buttocks. Rather than using a speculum to open your anus (as is done in cervical Pap smears), your doctor simply uses the index finger and thumb in their nondominant hand.
Once the anoderm (i.e., lining of the anus) pouts out, they insert a long swab into the anal canal until it reaches the rectum. They slowly move the swab in and out several times, without removing it, swirling it at the same time. You may feel slight pressure on your anal canal walls.
They then remove the swab and place it in a methanol-based preservative-transport solution and agitate it for 60 seconds. In the meantime, you’re free to go.
Your doctor sends the collected cells to a laboratory, which applies them to slides. Under the microscope, pathologists look for abnormalities in the anal canal cells that might indicate precancerous or cancerous changes.
If the test is positive (i.e., the lab identifies precancerous or cancerous cells), we may perform further tests, including a biopsy. If cancer is confirmed, we may perform surgery and then refer you to an oncologist for treatment. The sooner anal cancer is caught, the more likely it can be removed and even cured.
If the test is negative (i.e., the lab doesn’t find abnormal cells), that means you’re cancer-free. During your Pap smear, we may also test for HPV, which is the virus that increases your risk for anal cancer.
Do you think you’re at risk for anal cancer? Book an anal Pap smear today at our office nearest you (Bloomfield, South Windsor, or Plainville, Connecticut), or schedule an appointment online.
