Anal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: An Infrequent Challenge in the Management of Ulcerative Colitis Under Combination Therapy.

Ulcerative colitis [UC] patients have a known higher risk for development of colorectal cancer than the general population.1 Anal squamous cell carcinoma [ASCC] is an infrequent tumour, with an incidence of approximately 1–2/100000 among inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] patients.2,3 The incidence seems higher in Crohn’s disease [CD] than in UC. Fistulas and chronic wounds in perianal CD tend to be a risk factor for the development of ASCC, as are smoking, infection with human papilloma virus [HPV] and immunosuppression.4 We recently saw a 70-year-old lady with a previous diagnosis of UC [proctosigmoiditis] for 10 years. She was referred to our unit to initiate biological therapy, …