10 Must-know HPV Facts, Risks & CANCERs -for all Ages & Genders!

By / / CANCER, Cervical, ENT, HPV, Illness & Diseases, Men's Health, Mental Health, Mouth, Ovaries, Prostate Cancer, Stress, Uterus, Vaccine, Well-Being, Women's Health / One comment

“Most people who have HPV don’t know they have it, because they do NOT develop genital warts or other manifestations of HPV that they can identify.” (Dr Oz Slideshow)

MEN out there, want to give this article a miss?  Think again!  HPV (Human Papillomavirus) is most common sexually transmitted infection in US and yes!  it can affect you!
1.
HPV is simply transmitted by:

“having contact with skin flakes with the HPV virus on it  — primarily through sexual transmission…. It can be transmitted from Fingers, Saliva, Genitalia.  Any kind of intimate physical contact will transmit the virus”

(Dr. Marshall Posner, Director of the Head and Neck Oncology Center, Mount Sinai Medical Center, Manhattan; HPV cancer researcher)

2.
HPV is currently the LEADING CAUSE of Oral Cancer (after smoking and sun exposure) through Oral Sex.
In 2010, there are 12,660 Oropharyngeal Cancers (Throat’s back, Tongue’s base & Tonsils) in both sexes.
Dr. Eric Genden (Professor and Chair of Otolaryngology, Icahn School of  Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital):
  • HPV caused oral and throat cancer had increased to “epidemic” states over the past decades.
  • “People say don’t smoke tobacco, or you’re going to get cancer.  But the cancer risk from smoking is 17.5% higher than the general population.  If you have chronic HPV, your risk of developing cancer is 234 times the normal  population.”
  • “In general, 90% of the population has been exposed to HPV, and 10% of those harbor a chronic viral illness“, where the 10% has a heightened chance of developing cancer and passing the cancer-causing strain to partners.

There is NO greater risk of contacting CANCER for spouses of Oral Cancer patients than any general population.  (American Society of Clinical Oncology)

3.
88% of all HPV-associated CANCERs are Cervical Cancer. (Dr. Diane Harper, HPV expert)
12,000 new Cervical Cancer cases are diagnosed in U.S. per year. (American Cancer Society)
4.
Other HPV-caused CANCERs are of the:
  • Anus
  • Penis
  • Vagina
  • Vulva
  • Head & Neck

5.

HPV is NON-discriminative towards Age or Gender.

Certain HPV strains attack the P53 gene (role: tumor suppression).

40 out of over 100 strains of HPV are known to be CANCER-related.

Only 15 strains  (16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 68, 73, and 82) have been labeled as “high-risk” because they cause CANCER.  (American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology; ASCCP)

  • Type 16 (most common type) -found in 50% Cervical CANCERs
  • Types 16 and 18 -together cause 70% Cervical CANCERs
If you are sexually active, and had any skin-to-skin contact via:
  • Vaginal Sex  (most often transmitted)
  • Anal Sex       (most often transmitted)
  • Oral Sex
  • Genital-to-Genital Contact

80% of you would have been HPV-infected by 50 years old.

“Condoms are protective, but NOT 100% protective because they do not protect the entire genital region.”

However, Condoms (70% reduced risk) are still deemed more effective in HPV infection protection than the HPV Vaccine by Dr Mercola.

6.
Though most HPV-infected people do NOT know they have HPV due to no manifestations of HPV, some do, with genital warts as raised bumps in
  • genital
  • anal
regions which sometimes go unnoticed.

Types 6 and 11:

  • Most commonly blamed to cause genital warts are NOT in the high-risk category for CANCER
  • Can cause throat warts called RRP/Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis

“Either way, ALL women should talk with their gynecologist about getting an HPV test in addition to getting a pap exam.  Experts recommend women get both procedures at regular intervals past the age of 30.” (Dr Oz Slideshow)

7.
According to the CDC, it is UNKNOWN as to who will clear HPV or who will develop into cancer but immune-suppressing influences such as smoking and chronic stress are thought to have an impact.
  • 50% -within 8 months
  • 90% -within 2 years

will fortunately clear the virus, yet some will retain the virus and NOT display signs of cancer for many years.

8.

Duration of the infection also depends on many factors,  including HPV virus-type.

“Studies have shown that higher-risk HPV types tend to last longer than lower-risk types.”

HPV develops into cancer due to alteration of the Cells’ DNA which spurs excessive division in them.  CANCER progression takes years as time is needed for HPV-caused cell to mutate enough to become cancerous; traditionally thought to be approximately 15 years though reports of quicker CANCER occurrence have been made.

Women can die from Cervical Cancer unknowingly that they have had chronic HPV infection for years and the pre-cancerous cervical lesions had not been promptly identified and treated.

9.
Cervix HPV which also shows pre-cancerous Cervical Lesions can be detected via a PAP SMEAR but there is NO corresponding test to screen for ORAL or other Types of HPV infections.  Therefore, it is of noteworthiness that HPV can be passed back and forth by both genders WITHOUT knowing it.

10.

High RISK Factors for CHRONIC HPV Infection include:

  • Smoking
  • Co-infection with Herpes, Chlamydia or HIV 
  • Birth Control long-term use 
OTHER MARKERs:

Blood Banks do NOT screen for HPV.

Mount Sinai HPV infographic.

Mount Sinai HPV infographic.

ABSTRACT & REFERENCE SOURCES:
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