PREVENTATIVE MEASURES FOR HPV AND CERVICAL CANCER
Studies show that 75 percent of Canadians will be infected with the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), which could lead to cervical cancer, but knowing the preventative measures can protect you.
There are more than 100 types of HPV and persistent infection of high-risk HPV types is the cause of over 99 percent of cervical cancers. “For some people, the virus has particles that could dislodge and get themselves incorporated into the tissue,” says Dr. Jennifer Blake, CEO of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada. “This leads to HPV related diseases and that could be a genital wart virus, but of particular concern is cervical cancer.”
Stop HPV and prevent cervical cancer
The primary prevention method for cervical cancer is to stop it by getting the vaccination. It covers upwards of 70 percent of the types of HPV that cause cervical cancer and 90 percent of the type that causes genital warts.
“Millions and millions of dosages have been given and it’s been found to be safe and effective,” adds Dr. Blake. “The best thing is to protect the child long before there is any thought of them becoming sexually active so that when they one day do become sexually active; they’ll be fine.”
Because our immune system is strongest when we’re young, this would be the best time to get the HPV vaccine, but it has been tested on women up to the age of 44 and worked.
The colposcopy-procedure is an additional method of prevention. Using a magnifying lens to look at the surface of the cervix, the surface can be treated with a gentle vinegar solution; the skin will look irregular because of the HPV
“Millions and millions of dosages [of the HPV vaccine] have been given and it’s been found to be safe and effective.”
underlying the skin and distorting the normal texture. An area affected by HPV can also be removed using a number of techniques, so there are different ways that it can be caught earlyand removed from the cervix before it becomes the cancer.
Monitoring and testing
In the early stages HPV tends not to have any symptoms; so monitoring for HPV through your Pap smear is one way to determine if you have the virus, but Dr. Blake says it can still have false negative and false positive results.
“You would only know that you have it if you get the problem showing up on your Pap smear,” says Dr. Blake. “If it reaches the point where it caus- es bleeding, then it’s probably already progressed to the stage where you know cancer is present.”
Dispel the myths and get educated
There is a lack of education and awareness about HPV and when you consider that high-risk HPV is the cause of most cervical cancers, it becomes increasingly important to dispel any myths and close the knowledge gap on HPV.
There are myths that if you’ve already had an abnormal Pap smear, it’s too late to get vaccinated, or that boys cannot get vaccinated – neither is true.
The vaccination for boys is covered in the Province of Prince Edward Island and in Alberta. Although it is an expensive vaccine, if it’s done in school, it’s completely covered by the government. Even if you’re older and not in school, Dr. Blake says you can still benefit from getting the vaccine. “It may create some transient changes in the Pap smear, but within a year or two, it will be out of your system.”
Lastly, because HPV can be transmitted through non-sexual skin-toskin contact, parents need to think beyond the behaviors that their children have with their partners.The behaviors of their children’s peers (with current and former partners) could also put their child at risk.