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A woman from Belfast who was diagnosed with anal cancer has shared her experience of enduring intense pain following pelvic radiotherapy treatment, a struggle that continues more than six years later. Trish Prosser, aged 57 and a mother of four, revealed that the radiotherapy caused her vaginal walls to close over, a condition that has led to persistent discomfort. She also expressed that the stigma surrounding anal cancer made her reluctant to discuss her diagnosis with family and friends.
Anal cancer remains uncommon in the UK, with around 1,500 new cases annually, including approximately 40 to 50 in Northern Ireland each year. Trish was diagnosed in 2020 amid the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, which she described as a particularly isolating time on her cancer journey. She noted the difficulty of coping with symptoms that didn’t align with typical cancer signs, such as extreme fatigue and itching around the anal area, without changes in bowel habits. Despite outward appearances, she said, “I may have looked normal on the outside as I didn’t lose my hair, but I felt awful on the inside, I just felt I was falling apart.”
One of the lasting complications Trish has faced is radiation-induced vaginal stenosis, a condition resulting from pelvic radiotherapy where scar tissue causes the vagina to become shorter, narrower, drier, and less flexible. This scarring can make intimacy painful, often requiring the use of dilators to alleviate the issue. Trish shared, “I wasn’t aware that my vagina had actually stuck together and I needed to open it again and that had to be done through a dilator or intimacy – and intimacy was painful.” She credited her supportive partner, Mark Seymour, for helping her navigate these challenges during recovery.
A major concern raised by Trish and healthcare professionals alike is the lack of specialized aftercare clinics in Northern Ireland for patients recovering from pelvic radiotherapy. Trish described how, after treatment, the healthcare system did not adequately address the complex long-term side effects she was experiencing, such as dealing with incontinence products, chronic constipation, and significant physical changes. Charities and experts, including Radiotherapy UK and the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, are working to improve the support pathway for patients post-treatment, emphasizing the importance of addressing both physical and emotional aftereffects. Dr Catherine Hanna, a consultant clinical oncologist, highlighted that early diagnosis is crucial and encouraged people to seek medical advice if they notice unusual symptoms like lumps, itching, or bleeding in the anal area
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