HUMAN PAPILLOMA VIRUS (HPV)
There are over 200 different strains of HPV. Only a few of them cause problems and most of them never cause any symptoms at all.
HPV is transmitted by skin to skin touching but do not necessarily have to include intercourse. They can affect all of the genital tissues including the cervix, vagina, vulva, peri-anal (areas around the anus) and anal areas. They can also affect the oral areas. Some experts believe that all people who have been sexually active have been exposed to HPV while other studies show that 80% of sexually active people have been exposed to the virus. The prevalence (the number of cases that are present in a population at a given time) is estimated to be around 27% depending on a person’s age.
There are 2 HPV viruses that are responsible for genital warts. These are not the same strains that cause changes to the cervix which are considered to be a pre – cancer. Most women, in the range of 80%, will clear HPV within 2 years. That means even if you have a high-risk type of HPV the chances are that it will not develop into a cancer. We have not yet been able to determine which women with high risk HPV will go on to develop pre-cancer and cancer. We therefore follow these people closely and if they develop a pre-cancer we treat it with a procedure called a LEEP. There are other procedures depending on where the pre-cancer cells might be.
There are well established vaccines for HPV. ImmunizeBC has a very clear explanation of the HPV vaccines. There is no treatment for HPV. The vaccine is a preventative measure not a treatment.
There is a small group of women who have prolonged courses of HPV infection and have a difficult time clearing the virus. These women are at risk of pre-cancer and cancer and we tend to follow them closely. There is a test for the HPV virus but in most jurisdiction’s, it is not being used a screening tool. This is partly because many women are exposed to HPV and would therefore test positive but most will also clear it on their own. Private pay HPV testing kits are available but are not encouraged by the BC Cancer screening program. In BC we use HPV testing in only one scenario at present. Every woman that has had a LEEP will have a six-month follow-up and at that point we undertake an HPV test along with other testing.