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Cervical Cancer AdviceGenital warts is a serious virus that should not be taken lightly. Many patients suffering from this disease hold the misconception that this is a virus that only causes skin lesions that are treatable through medication and surgery and are therefore not serious. This however is not true and the virus should never be taken lightly. Genital warts are caused by variation of the human papillomavirus (HPV) that has been linked to an increased propensity to develop cervical cancer. Women with an immune system that is functioning properly are usually able to prevent HPV from doing further damage to their system beyond the development of genital warts. However, there are a small percentage of instances where the immune system is not able to combat the HPV and the virus begins to transform some of the cervical cells to cancerous cells. This is a rather slow process but it can be difficult to detect. The cell may originally appear to be affected by a viral infection but if ignored they can develop into precancerous cells and lead to cervical cancer. It is currently unknown why some women are more likely than others to develop cervical cancer after being afflicted with HPV. Some risk factors such as smoking may increase the odds of developing cervical cancer but beyond that not much is currently known about why some women seem to have a heightened risk of developing cervical cancer after being afflicted with HPV. The link between cervical cancer and HPV is frightening because although we are aware that the link exists, doctors and scientists have not been able to determine why the link exists. This gap in the understanding makes it significantly more difficult to prevent the occurrence of cervical cancer in the presence of HPV. With the frightening link between cervical cancer and HPV, it is advisable that women do whatever is possible to reduce their risk of HPV. Since HPV is a sexually transmitted virus the most effective way to reduce the risk of contracting this virus is to practice safe sex methods. Monogamy and the use of condoms are both effective measures at reducing the exposure to HPV. |
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