ANAL CANCER-A BUM RAP
ANAL CANCER SUPPORT GROUP
A BUM RAP
A Bum Rap is an Ottawa, Canada based support group for past & present anal cancer patients & their families.
We will be providing whatever support, encouragement & advice we can to anal cancer patients from their initial diagnosis, through their treatment and then their life after treatment.
"Anal Cancer-DON'T be too embarrassed to get checked/discuss concerns...just because it's in an embarrassing place doesn't mean it's worth dying for!" Helene H
21st March: Anal Cancer Awareness Day
RESOURCES-THE ANAL PORTAL
There are many really good internet sites for you to visit to find out more information on anal cancer. We have chosen just a few...but by visiting these sites you will be able to click on their resource links & visit the world :-) See links at the end of the page.
You may want to join a support group...either in the real world or a cyberspace one :-).....and there are some really good ones out there. I suggest you get a Twitter account because there are a lot of excellent resources there & most support groups also Tweet.
Writing a journal/blog/e-newsletter to either yourself or your family & friends etc during your cancer journey may also help you get through it....sometimes getting things out of your head and down on "paper" makes you feel calmer....it worked for me (Helene). I was BRUTALLY honest about what was happening in my day...from pain to bowel movements, emotions to meds...you name it, I wrote about it & I also took photos of me, my family & friends, my medical team etc. I emailed it out to all my family & friends and so they all knew what was going on....so when they phoned me I didn't have to keep repeating things. I re-read my newsletter now & think, Good Grief, I got through all THAT!! :-)
PLEASE remember to ASK YOUR MEDICAL TEAM FIRST if anything is worrying you...they know exactly what is happening to YOU and therefore their advice is tailored to your needs.
Let us know what other resources you would like to see mentioned.
CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING USEFUL LINKS:
AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY-ANAL CANCER
ANAL CANCER CHAT, ANAL CANCER CLINICAL TRIALS, ANAL CANCER MEN *CONTACT US FOR MEMBERSHIP*
CANADIAN CANCER SOCIETY -ANAL CANCER
COLORECTAL CANCER ASSOCIATION OF CANADA
CUMBERLAND SURGICAL ASSOCIATES
DrBOUSHEY: Diseases of the Colon, Rectum & Anus
INTERNATIONAL ANAL NEOPLASIA SOCIETY (IANS) Excellent organization especially for medical professionals involved in the screening & treatment of AIN and/or Anal Cancer....definitely check out their Patient Webinars!
MACMILLAN CANCER SUPPORT UK THE BUMLANDERS
MELANOMA NETWORK OF CANADA A useful site for anal melanoma patients...also has excellent resource links to various other Canadian cancer related sites
NCCN GUIDELINES FOR MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS 2024 *Please access your NCCN account as the 2024 paper has not been approved for public distribution as yet; there have been some modifications to the prior release including additional immunotherapy info
THE HPV & ANAL CANCER FOUNDATION Excellent organisation with a buddy system
52 SHADES OF BLUE Stage 4 Anal Cancer Thriver diagnosed in 2010 with Stage 4 and alas died of her disease in 2020
The best screening tool for Anal Cancer and /or Anal Intraepithelial Neoplasia (AIN) is via High Resolution Anoscopy (HRA):
Please speak to your primary care medical team about this screening technique.
HRA Screening Clinics in Canada:
TORONTO: Toronto General: Drs Irv Salit and Jill Tinmouth
MONTREAL: Hôpital Notre-Dame du Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal: Dr Francois Coutlée
VANCOUVER: St Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver: Dr Natasha Press
OTTAWA: Centrepointe Medical Consultants Dr Marina Straszak-Suri