Related topics: cervical cancer
Human papillomavirus
hideAlphapapillomavirus Betapapillomavirus Gammapapillomavirus Mupapillomavirus Nupapillomavirus
A human papillomavirus (HPV) is a papillomavirus that infects the epidermis and mucous membranes of humans. HPV can lead to cancers of the cervix, vulva, vagina, and anus in women. In men, it can lead to cancers of the anus and penis.
Approximately 130 HPV types have been identified. Some HPV types can cause warts (verrucae), but those types don't cause cancer. Other types can cause cancer, but those types don't cause warts. Other types have no symptoms and are harmless. Most people who become infected with HPV do not know they have it.
About 30-40 HPV types are typically transmitted through sexual contact and infect the anogenital region. Some sexually transmitted HPV types may cause genital warts. Persistent infection with "high-risk" HPV types—different from the ones that cause warts—may progress to precancerous lesions and invasive cancer. HPV infection is a cause of nearly all cases of cervical cancer. However most infections with these types do not cause disease.
Most HPV infections in young females are temporary and have little long-term significance. 70% of infections are gone in 1 year and 90% in 2 years.
A cervical Papanicolaou (Pap) test is used to detect abnormal cells which may develop into cancer. A cervical examination also detects warts and other abnormal growths which become visible as white patches of skin after they are washed with acetic acid. Abnormal and cancerous areas can be removed with a simple procedure, typically with a cauterizing loop.
Pap smears have reduced the incidence and fatalities of cervical cancer in the developed world, but even so there were 11,000 cases and 3,900 deaths in the U.S. in 2008. Cervical cancer has substantial mortality in resource-poor areas; worldwide, there are 490,000 cases and 270,000 deaths.
HPV vaccines, Gardasil and Cervarix, which prevent infection with the HPV types (16 and 18) that cause 70% of cervical cancer, may lead to further decreases.
For more information about Human papillomavirus, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with hpv
Age-specific evaluation of HPV DNA testing vs. cytology screening
Nov 10, 2009 |
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Human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing with cytology triage is more sensitive than conventional cytology screening for detecting cervical lesions, according to a new study published online November 9 in the Journal of th ...
FDA-approved drugs eliminate, prevent cervical cancer in mice
Nov 09, 2009 |
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Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health have eliminated cervical cancer in mice with two FDA-approved drugs currently used to treat breast cancer and osteoporosis.
HPV vaccine makes girls more cautious about sex
Oct 27, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Nearly 80% of girls say that having the HPV vaccine makes them think twice about the risks of having sex, according to a University of Manchester study published in the British Journal of ...
Study: HPV vaccine hurts less than expected
Medicine & Health / Medications
Oct 21, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Injections of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine appear to be no more painful than other shots that prevent disease, according to a new study by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel ...
Study finds girls aware of HPV vaccine's benefits
Oct 15, 2009 |
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Contrary to concerns that the human papillomavirus vaccine might promote promiscuity, a national survey of girls and young women found that the majority of respondents did not believe the HPV vaccine protected them against ...
Vaccinating boys against human papillomavirus not cost-effective
Oct 09, 2009 |
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Persistent infection with high-risk types of human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted virus, is known to be a cause of cervical cancer. Current guidelines prioritize HPV vaccination of pre-adolescent girls, which ...
British girl dies after cervical cancer vaccine jab
Medicine & Health / Medications
Sep 29, 2009 |
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British drug giant GlaxoSmithKline said Tuesday it was working with health authorities here probing the death of a schoolgirl following a cervical cancer vaccination.
FDA says Glaxo vaccine blocks cancer-causing virus
Sep 04, 2009 |
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(AP) -- A vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline successfully blocks the virus that causes most cases of cervical cancer, the Food and Drug Administration said Friday.
HPV vaccine could prevent breast cancer: research
Sep 03, 2009 |
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Vaccinating women against the human papillomavirus (HPV) may prevent some forms of breast cancer and save tens of thousands of lives each year, new Australian research suggests.
More than half of Texas physicians do not always recommend HPV vaccine to girls
Medicine & Health / Medications
Aug 06, 2009 |
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The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends the human papillomavirus vaccination for all 11- and 12-year-old girls, but results of a recent survey showed that more than half of Texas physicians do not follow ...
Low prevalence of HPV infection may be tied to poor prognosis for blacks with head and neck cancer
Jul 29, 2009 |
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Researchers at the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer have found that head and neck cancer patients who test positive for the human papillomavirus (HPV) have much better survival rates than patients ...
Cost-effectiveness of HPV vaccination in the Netherlands
Jul 01, 2009 |
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Even under favorable assumptions, including lifelong protection against 70% of all cervical cancers and no side effects, vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV) is not cost-effective in the Netherlands, according ...
Study: Benefit to women not enough to sway men to get HPV vaccine (w/Video)
Jun 02, 2009 |
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Informing men that a new vaccine to prevent human papillomavirus (HPV) would also help protect their female partners against developing cervical cancer from the sexually transmitted infection did not increase their interest ...
HPV Linked to Certain Head and Neck Cancers (w/Videos)
May 21, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) in Buffalo, New York, are strongly advocating a national discussion about the need to vaccinate both young men and women against HPV 16 to prevent head ...
Cancer-causing virus associated with higher risk of new HIV infection
Medicine & Health / HIV & AIDS
Apr 30, 2009 |
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Infection with anal human papillomavirus (HPV), a virus that can cause anal and cervical cancers, is associated with a higher risk of new HIV infection in previously HIV-negative men who have sex with men (MSM), according ...
