“Taking the stigma away from checking for anal cancer”

Dr. Gary Bucher wants to take the stigma away from checking for anal cancer. He said even when an individual starts showing symptoms of cancer, doctors regularly misdiagnose the problem. “They assume it’s hemorrhoids and prescribe hemorrhoid cream,” Bucher said. “Doctors do not want to look. They don’t want to go there. It’s taboo. And the patients don’t want them to go there.” A leader in clinical care and
research with HIV/AIDS patients for more than 35 years, Bucher saw the rates of anal cancer increasing with people living with human immunodeficiency virus, men having sex with men and other high-risk groups. He started referring patients to colorectal surgeons for anal pap smears.

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