Grant: Project Grant

It is time to understand how to best implement anal cancer screening. Although rare in the general population, rates of anal cancer are 20 to 100 times higher among people living with HIV, or with solid organ transplants, or among women who have had human papillomavirus-related cancers. Like cervical and colorectal cancer, early detection and treatment can prevent anal cancer. Unlike cervical or colorectal cancer, Canada does not have a routine screening program for anal cancer. In 2024, the first international guidelines for anal cancer screening were released. The guidelines recommend that clinicians offer screening to people at the highest risk-those who are at greater than 10 times the risk of the general population. Our project goal is to determine what steps need to be taken to ensure that anal cancer screening becomes part of regular health care for people in whom it is recommended. We will gather evidence in three phases. First, we will prepare to learn how well anal screening works, and for whom. We will select measures of success from the perspectives of everyone involved in anal cancer screening, including patients. Next, we will carry out interviews and focus groups to learn the needs of people for whom screening is recommended, as well as healthcare providers and healthcare systems. Finally, we will work together with healthcare providers and people with lived experience to prepare toolkits on how to put anal cancer screening into place. The toolkits will include educational materials for clinicians that explain how to adopt anal cancer screening in their practice. They will also include products to teach people about anal cancer screening and encourage them to participate. We will evaluate how usable the toolkits are with the people who will use them. Our results will outline how to make anal cancer screening effective and fair for every person who needs it, so that they access the care that prevents anal cancer.