( CNN ) -- The news that one of America 's TV icons is suffering from cancer brought sadness . Learning the type of cancer she had made some squeamish . Farrah Fawcett , shown here in 2004 , learned she had cancer in 2006 . Former `` Charlie 's Angels '' actress Farrah Fawcett , 62 , was hospitalized this week . She received a diagnosis of anal cancer in 2006 . This type of cancer is less common than rectal and colon cancer , and the location of the tumor and risk factors make people squeamish about discussing it openly , doctors said . Colon cancer at one time also was not openly talked about , because of the body part and functions affected , but with the public awareness campaigns and celebrities advocating for screenings , it has been largely destigmatized . Anal cancer is less familiar . Fawcett has not publicly confirmed the specifics of her illness , but is working on a documentary , titled `` A Wing and a Prayer , '' about her health battle . Anal cancer affects more women and the illness is usually found in people who are in their early 60 's . The American Cancer Society estimates that 5,000 new cases of anal cancer are diagnosed each year and about 680 people die from it annually . Meanwhile , colorectal cancer has 148,000 new cases and about 50,000 deaths each year . The numbers of anal cancer cases are rising , although experts have n't been able to pinpoint why . Cultural squeamishness about certain body areas could prevent early diagnosis and treatment of anal cancer , said Dr. Petr F. Hausner , an associate professor of medicine at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore , Maryland . `` Patients in the United States hate to be examined in these areas , '' said Hausner , who trained in Czechoslovakia . `` They like to keep their private parts more private than in Europe . In the U.S. , the patients hate those exams and physicians hate to do them . The examination is incomplete . '' The cultural discomfort might be a minor factor , though . `` The bigger role is the virus , '' he said referring to the human papilloma virus , a key risk factor for anal cancer that also can cause cervical cancer . Getting vaccinated against HPV is a step in prevention , Hausner said . More than half of anal cancer patients experience bleeding as a symptom . Others have no symptoms or report common conditions , such as hemorrhoids , fissures , or warts . Symptoms also include itching or pain in that area , changes in the diameter of stool , abnormal discharge , swollen lymph nodes in the anal or groin areas , according to the American Cancer Society . `` The most common thing is people think it 's a hemorrhoid , '' said Dr. Cathy Eng , associate professor in the department of gastrointestinal medical oncology at the University of Texas M.D . Anderson Cancer Center . Patients should consult with their physicians , she said . Anal pap smears are routine only for HIV-positive patients , who are at higher risk for this cancer . There are no anal cancer screening recommendations for non-HIV individuals , because it remains a rare disease , Hausner said . People whose immune system are suppressed , from HIV or drugs taken after organ transplants are at risk for anal cancer . Other risk factors include a sexual history with many partners , a medical history of human papilloma virus ( HPV ) , sexually transmitted diseases or gynecological cancers . People tend to view anal cancer negatively , because they associate the cancer with a few of its risk factors -- such as sexually transmitted diseases or anal sex , Eng said . `` It 's one of the risk factors , not the only risk factor , '' Eng said . `` It 's fair to say people are stigmatized , she said , primarily because of the disease 's association with that type of sex . When anal cancer is caught early , chemotherapy and radiation are highly effective . But if the cancer does n't respond to treatment and spreads to other areas of the body , the five-year survival rate plummets to 20 percent , Eng said . `` Anal cancer is unique , '' she said . `` The majority of time you can cure the patient , but if you have recurrent or residual disease , you could end up losing your sphincter . '' The sphincter are muscles that holds in urine and feces . If the sphincter is removed , the patient must have a special bag , called an ostomy pouch , that collects the waste . Anal cancer is `` much rarer than colon cancer , '' Hausner said . `` For 50 colon cancer patients , we see one anal cancer ... It 's a rare disease . It is becoming a little bit more frequent . I would say that people are not aware . ''
Risk factors for anal cancer include suppressed immune system , HPV , STDs . Comment: Anal cancer it treatable , but becomes more difficult to treat if tumor spreads .