Carcinoma arising within an anal gland.

Anal gland carcinoma (AGC) is rare, and its innocuous presentation and developing immunohistochemical profile make the diagnosis of it challenging. Predominant presenting symptoms include anal pain, rectal bleeding and the presence of a perianal mass in advanced stages of the disease. Histological profile commonly reveals an intramural adenocarcinoma with normal unaffected overlying anorectal mucosa. Immunohistochemical analysis shows positive staining for cytokeratin (CK) 7 and negative staining for CK20. MUC5AC expression with CK5/6 and p53 negativity has been reported. The authors report a case of a 68-year-old woman with a rapidly advancing AGC and review the current literature with respect to diagnosis and current consensus on therapeutic management.