Human Papilloma virus, HPV Overview

No one knows what is the risk of being exposed to human Papillomavirus (HPV). According to the estimations, at least %75 of the reproductive aged human beings is affected by one or more types of genital HPV. And also, each year at least 6.2 million new infections are seen.
But as good news, the virus has no symptom and if you have a strong immune system, the virus can clear itself in vast majority of situations. As bad news, the permanent infection with high risk of HPV is seen in %5 of women and it mostly causes cervical cancer. Moreover, American Cancer Society estimates that this virus affected 11,070 women in 2008 and killed about 3,870.
Additionally, the HPV infection issues are similar to those raised by genital herpes. Both of them frequently have no symptoms; both of them can cause medical problems. Although some types of HPV disappear, the permanent HPV is untreatable like herpes. It has not proved whether they completely go away or not.
However, HPV can cause cervical cancer in some men and women unlike herpes. Besides cervical cancer, HPV can also cause vulva, penis, throat and anus cancer.
There are 100 types of HPV virus. The HPV virus family is called Papillomavirus, because they lean to cause papilloma or benign (noncancerous) tumors. Furthermore, warts can be seen on hands, feet or genital areas. The HPV strains causing warts to grow on hands and feet are rarely the same with the warts on genital area. More than 30 strains spread with sexual contact and called genital strains. Only 15 of them are related to cervical cancer, and these are the high-risk strains (%70 of the HPV 16 and 18 causes cancers). Although they have not got any risk of causing cervical cancer, HPV 6 and 11 are the low-risk strains cause %90 of genital warts.
A HPV vaccine called Gardasil has been approved by the U.S Food and Drug Administration. This vaccine protects the women against 4 HPV types which are the two most common high-risk strains (HPV 16 and 18) and the two most common low-risk strains (HPV 6 and 11). However, the vaccine should be applied before an infection occurs, especially for girls who become sexually active. The vaccine can be approved as young as nine and is suggested routinely for girls 11 and 12 years old. If the vaccine was not applied to the women when they were young, it can be given to women who are between the ages of 13 and 26. But if the women have been infected by the one of the four types of HPV which is inside of the vaccine, it will not work.
To prevent HPV 16 and 18, the vaccine is safe and %100 effective according to the clinical surveys. Gardasil is given with three injections in six months and also is %99 effective to prevent the HPV 6 and 11. Gardasil does not protect the women against all strains although it prevents two of the most serious high-risk HPV strains in women. So, continuing Pap tests are suggested by FDA.
In the last years, the death and cases of cervical cancer decreased in United States as a result of early detection of screening and surveying the cell changes. The cervical cancer death percentage has decreased by %74 between 1955 and 1992. Although the HPV vaccine is broken through, the Pap test remains an important screening and surveying test preventing cervical cancer.
Along with the Pap test, the HPV tests use the DNA based Hybrid Capture Technology to detect HPV and it is also used in women over 30 ages to detect the HPV infection. The HPV test is more effective than Pap test alone to identify the women’s risk of developing cervical cancer. Additionally, FDA has approved two new high-risk HPV tests. One of them is Cervista HPV HR which is similar to DNA based tests and screens the fifteen high-risk virus strains, and the other one is Cervista 16/18 which screens the two HPV types most strongly related to HPV 16 and 18 cervical cancers.