Foreword

Article Outline

• Copyright

The history of anal cancer therapy provides the first evidence that judicious application of chemoradiation could obviate the need for surgery; with that discovery, the concept of organ-sparing therapy was born. Since then, the construct has been expanded most successfully to laryngeal preservation but also to other specific sites (eg, orbit, extremity) for some pediatric malignancies. Yet, in the study of anal cancer, we still have much ahead of us. Sphincter-sparing rates are not 100%, and loss of sphincter function is not uncommon. Cutaneous toxicity is marked.

This review by Drs Emily Chan, Lisa A. Kachnic, and Charles R. Thomas Jr is thus quite timely. Further study is necessary, and underway, dealing with the thorny issues of toxicity and metastatic disease. This review will celebrate our past successes and help describe our future path.