Some types of HPV are linked to cervical cancer particularly numbers 16, 18, 30 and 33. They are called high risk because just about all cervical cancers are positive for high risk HPV. This association is so strong that scientists in this area think that the very small number of cervical cancers that test negatively for HPV have come about because there was a problem with the HPV testing, rather than because the infection wasn't there in the first place.
On the other hand, many women who are infected with high risk HPVs do not go on to develop cervical cancer. So there are other factors at work too, such as smoking and how well your immune system is working. Women who smoke and have a high risk HPV infection are more likely to go on to get cervical cancer. It is important to remember that regular cervical screening will pick up abnormal cervical cells before they become cervical cancers. So even if you have HPV and smoke, you can prevent cervical cancer. You could also stop smoking, of course!
Those who have lowered immunity also have an increased risk of cervical cancer. This can be because of drugs you are taking for another condition, or because you have an illness that affects your immunity, such as HIV/AIDS. If you have lowered immunity, it is particularly important for you to have regular smear tests.
The HPV virus can be latent. That means that it can be present but not active. It is possible for someone to have been infected at some point in the past and for the virus to be asleep or dormant. HPV can lie dormant and be undetected for many years before it becomes active. It may not cause any symptoms and you might not even know that you have it. Only certain strains cause genital warts and the other strains can be present but go completely unnoticed. Most HPV infections disappear without treatment, as the body's immune system fights the infection.
HPV testing is not routinely available in the NHS. But the NHS has been considering it as part of the cervical cancer screening programme. Women who test positive for a high risk strain of HPV are more likely to need treatment for borderline or mildly abnormal cervical smears than women who are not. At the moment, if you have a mildly abnormal cervical smear, you may have a colposcopy straight away. Or your doctor may ask you to come back for another smear in 6 months time. If the abnormality does not go away by itself (and it sometimes does), you then need a colposcopy. The NHS are considering introducing HPV testing for women with borderline or mildy abnormal smears. If you had HPV, you would have this treated. If not, you would not need treatment. The cell changes would go back to normal on their own.
There are now vaccines available to prevent infection with the human papilloma virus (HPV). As HPV is a risk factor for cervical cancer, these vaccines will help to prevent this type of cancer. The Gardasil cervical cancer vaccine was licensed for use within the European Union in September 2006. There is more information about the HPV vaccine in this section of CancerHelp UK.
0 ความคิดเห็น:
Post a Comment