There is a cancer that is on the rise in the United States, and it is on the rise in a population that is taking doctors by surprise. The cancer is anal cancer, and the population is white and hispanic women aged 65 and older. This is challenging previous assumptions about high-risk groups for this rare and deadly cancer.
Trends in Anal Cancer Rates
A recent study presented at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2025 has found an alarming trend in anal cancer in older women. The study, presented by lead author Dr. Ashley Robinson, analyzed data from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database from 2017 to 2021. The analysis revealed a significant increase in anal cancer rates, with the most substantial jumps observed among older women, specifically white and Hispanic women. The rates for women 65 and older have increased by almost 3%, If you look at just white women, the rise during the period of the study is over 4%. Older hispanic women had the second-highest, with just shy of 2%.
