What Farrah Fawcett's Story Can Help Us Understand About Anal Cancer

She named the cancer out loud

Variety reported that Farrah Fawcett, the actress known worldwide for Charlie's Angels, was diagnosed with anal cancer in September 2006. She traveled to Germany in 2007 for alternative treatments. An NBC documentary about her illness, Farrah's Story, aired in May 2009. She died on June 25, 2009 at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica. She was 62.

The part that still matters is the naming. In 2006 this was a cancer people described vaguely or not at all. She used the word. Nothing else here describes her care.

A rare cancer that is mostly caused by a virus

Anal cancer forms in the tissues of the anus, at the end of the digestive tract. Most cases are squamous cell carcinoma, which starts in the thin flat cells that line the surface.

The main cause is human papillomavirus. NCI describes HPV as a group of more than 200 related viruses, some spread through vaginal, anal or oral sex. Twelve types are classed as high risk: HPV 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58 and 59. Types 16 and 18 cause most HPV-related cancers.

NCI is direct about how common this is. Nearly all sexually active people are infected with HPV within months to a few years of becoming sexually active, and about half of those infections involve a high-risk type. Almost all clear on their own within a year or two. Cancer requires an infection that persists for many years, slowly pushing normal cells to precancerous and then cancerous.

That is worth sitting with, because it undoes the stigma directly. HPV is close to universal. Anal cancer is not. NCI lists six cancers HPV can cause: anal, cervical, oropharyngeal, penile, vaginal and vulvar. Our page on HPV and cancer explains the biology.

How common, and how it turns out

ACS estimates 11,270 new US cases of anal cancer and 1,700 deaths for 2026, and SEER reprints those estimates. That is 0.5% of all new cancers.

Five-year relative survival across all stages, for people diagnosed between 2016 and 2022, is 70.9%. By how far the cancer had spread when it was found, it is 85.0% while still confined to where it started, 70.1% once it has reached nearby lymph nodes, and 36.5% once it has spread further. Thirty-nine percent are found while still confined; 38% have already reached nodes.

These are group figures from past years. They describe a population and not any person.

Treatment usually saves the sphincter

This is the part most people get wrong. Anal cancer is not usually treated by removing the anus.

NCI describes the standard approach for stage I to III as external beam radiation therapy given together with chemotherapy. The chemotherapy drugs listed are fluorouracil, mitomycin, capecitabine and cisplatin, often in combination. Radiation alone is an option in some cases.

Surgery has a smaller role. A local resection cuts out a small tumor with a margin of healthy tissue, and it can spare the sphincter muscles, so bowel control is kept. The bigger operation, an abdominoperineal resection, removes the anus, rectum and part of the colon and creates a permanent colostomy. NCI states that this is used only when cancer remains or comes back after chemoradiation.

People treated with a sphincter-sparing approach may have follow-up exams every three months for the first two years, including rectal exams with endoscopy and biopsy where needed. Our page on anal cancer treatment covers the sequence in more detail.

Prevention that actually exists

Anal cancer is one of the cancers HPV vaccination is designed to prevent. NCI states plainly that HPV vaccines can prevent infection with disease-causing HPV types, and so prevent many HPV-related cancers and cases of genital warts.

The vaccine works before exposure, which is why it is given young. Whether it is worthwhile for an adult is a conversation with a clinician. Our guide to HPV vaccination and cancer prevention sets out who it is for.

When to get checked

NCI lists these symptoms. Hemorrhoids, fissures and other harmless conditions cause nearly all of them, which is exactly why the rare one gets missed:

• Bleeding from the anus or rectum
• A lump near the anus
• Pain or pressure around the anus
• Itching or discharge from the anus
• A change in bowel habits

Anal bleeding that has lasted more than three weeks needs an examination, not a repeat prescription for hemorrhoid cream. An examination takes minutes.

What this does not mean

• Everything above about Fawcett comes from contemporary reporting. Nothing here describes her private care or her prognosis.
• Anal cancer is not colon cancer or rectal cancer. It starts in different cells and is treated differently.
• HPV infection is nearly universal and almost always clears. Having had HPV is not a sign of anything, and anal cancer is not a verdict about anyone's life.
• The vaccine prevents new infections. It does not treat an existing cancer or clear an existing infection.
• Survival percentages describe groups diagnosed years ago, not the person reading them.

Sources

• Variety, Farrah Fawcett Dies at 62 — https://variety.com/2009/scene/markets-festivals/farrah-fawcett-dies-at-62-1118005401/
• NCI PDQ, Anal Cancer Treatment (Patient Version) — https://www.cancer.gov/types/anal/patient/anal-treatment-pdq
• NCI, Symptoms of Anal Cancer — https://www.cancer.gov/types/anal/symptoms
• NCI, HPV and Cancer — https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/infectious-agents/hpv-and-cancer
• SEER Cancer Stat Facts, Anal Cancer — https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/anus.html

How this article was prepared

An AI-assisted editorial system helped prepare this page. No named medical reviewer has reviewed it unless one is listed.

The National Cancer Information Foundation publishes Cancer Explained. This page is for learning. It is not medical advice and does not suggest a test or treatment.

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