What is the role of HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) in the development of cervical cancer?

HPV is the only approved responsible of cervical cancer. Moreover it is also related with chronic urinal systems infections, vaginosis and vaginitis . In general it is together with genital herpes.

So far more than a hundred HPV types of HPV have been transcribed, some of which causes warts occurring mostly on hands and feet. However some other warts are encountered on cervical that are accepted dangerous. These warts are the factors of risk for cervical cancer for women. The warts, observed on men, are mainly placed anogenital area and are related with some cancers rarely diagnosed on this area.

Approximately 1/3 of being known HPV types is found on genital areas. These “genotypes” are numbered by taking into account their chronological orders in the medical literature. Being accepted as a newly founded type, the virus should have at least 50 % of different characteristics of DNA than those founded before.

HPV is the mostly speeded disease observed on genital areas and known that it is transferred by sexual intercourse. In USA 20 million people are encountered that they have HPV. And every passing year this number is on the increase by “1 million”.

HPV is infectious by “skin to skin” or “mucosa membrane to mucosa membrane”. While knobs are diagnosed after three months of infection, sometimes this span can be prolonged to six months. Whereas warts can be occurred in vulva, in labial, in urethra, inside of vagina, on serviks ( the entrance of the Womb) and around the soft rim of anus for women, For men they are observed on glans (the top of the penis), the body of penis, in scrotum and anus. People whose partners have HPV are infected in the ratio of 2/3.

In men HPV is observed as plain warts in the anogenital area. The women whose partners have symptoms of this type of HPV are certainly recommended to have genotype test done. Anal cancers in men are connected HPV (Human Papilloma Virus).

Nowadays protective vaccines are developed against HPV, and This will arrive in Turkey soon. But people having the most dangerous type of HPV called HPV 16 or HPV 18 will have no results clinically with this vaccine. Hence It is advised that people who want to have protective vaccine have to be controlled and diagnosed in advance of being vaccinated.

It is possible to get DNA infected by HPV either the sample of vaginal smear obtained easily by a vaginal brush without blood and mucosa or from condyloma itself by an easy interference ( if HPV test is positive). In our medical center, after having this sample, PCR tests are done and the results are observed by agaroz gel projection. In this scene the result of (+) shows the existence of HPV. Following this diagnosis, mostly seen 35 types of HPV are compared by using chip technology. If the first test is (+) and the second test turns no result ( no similarity with 35 types of HPV ), the method of DNA array analysis is realized. This method can be also realized directly if wanted.