HEALTH: Are you at risk for anal cancer?

You've stepped on the scale, had your blood pressure checked, maybe even had some blood drawn for a medical test.

But for sexually active gay men, the exam isn't complete until the doctor is asked one important question:

"Am I at risk for anal dysplasia?"


The pre-cancerous condition known as anal dysplasia (pronounced dis-pley-zhuh) is present in 56 percent of men who have sex with men, according to the AIDS Education and Training Centers National Resource Center.  The origin of the disease is unprotected anal intercourse with someone who has human papillomavirus (HPV), which is present in 93 percent of men who have sex with men, according to resource center data.

The HPV infection prevents cells from making the proteins that protect the anus from dysplasia and cancer.

Similar to cervical dysplasia found in women, anal dysplasia is the clustering of infected cells in the lining of the anal canal. These cells form lesions which can lead to anal cancer if left undetected and untreated.