HPV or human papillomavirus can have a ripple effect on a woman’s health . Some types can cause genital warts and infections that lead to cell changes on the surface of a woman’s cervix (dysplasias) that can also lead to other complications.
Now, a new study conducted by the Danish Cancer Society Research Center has determined that the risk of cervical cancer is much higher in women with HPV. To do this, the researchers examined the Danish Cancer Registry , in which they analyzed 34 years of data from nearly 3 million women enrolled in the registry . Among the information were data on precancerous conditions and the types of cancers they may have suffered.
The registry review revealed that women with second- and third-degree dysplasia were more likely to develop cancer than women with no history of the disease. Women with second-degree lesions were 2.9 times more likely to develop anal cancer, 2.5 times more likely to have vulvar cancer, and 8.1 times more likely to develop vaginal cancer. These risks doubled in women with third-degree infections. According to the researchers, this risk persisted for 25 years or more.
Although the risk of cervical cancer is relatively well known, the results of this study also suggest that women with HPV are at risk for long-term anal cancer.
The work thus offers a new vision of genital HPV infections, since, although previous studies have shown that women and men with HPV face an increased risk of genital infection, the researchers suspect that even after they have been treated dysplasia, HPV could still be present in the ano-genital region, with the consequent long-term risk of cancer.
” Preventing HPV infection is the best way to reduce subsequent cancer rates,” explains Susanne Krüger Kjær, leader of the research.
The study has been published in the journal Cancer, Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention.
