If I am infected with HPV virus, will I definitely get cervical cancer?

As cervical cancer vaccines become more and more popular, more women are beginning to understand and talk about HPV. However, some women are afraid of HPV because HPV and cervical cancer go hand in hand in many situations.

So, if you are infected with the HPV virus, will you definitely get cervical cancer?

HPV is divided into high-risk and low-risk types

HPV, Chinese name is human papillomavirus. It is a large family. Currently, more than 100 types of HPV DNA have been identified, of which more than 30 are related to cervical infection and lesions. According to the degree of pathogenicity, it is divided into high-risk type and low-risk type.

HPV6, 11, 40, 42, 43, 44, 54, 61, 70, 72, 81 and other 12 types are classified as low-risk types, which mainly cause exogenous condylomata, flat condylomata and low-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in the perianal skin of the genital tract and the lower part of the vagina, which are mostly transient and can be reversed naturally. HPV16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 68, 73, 82 and other 15 types are high-risk types, which mainly cause high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical cancer.

HPV is mainly transmitted through sexual contact

HPV is spread mainly in the following five ways:

1. Sexual contact transmission, which is the main way to acquire HPV;

2. Close contact, transmission through close and direct contact with an infected person;

3. Indirect contact, through contact with the infected person’s clothing, daily necessities, utensils, etc.;

4. Nosocomial infection: medical staff fail to provide adequate protection during treatment and care, resulting in self-infection or transmission of the infection to patients through medical staff;

5. Mother-to-child transmission is when the baby is infected through the birth canal of the pregnant woman.

Therefore, avoiding premature sexual intercourse, maintaining relatively fixed sexual partners, and using condoms for contraception can reduce the chance of mutual infection. At the same time, maintaining good living habits and a healthy body can help eliminate the virus as soon as possible even if a small amount of virus is infected.

HPV infection to cervical cancer requires two conditions

HPV is not as scary as we think. Due to the diversity of HPV transmission routes, it is actually common in the population. However, not every type of HPV is related to cervical cancer, and not every HPV infection will lead to cervical cancer.

Studies have shown that more than 80% of women have had HPV infection at different stages of their lives. Most people only have a transient infection and can clear the virus within two years; only about 5% of people will have a persistent infection; and a very small number of people can carry it for life. Whether HPV infection will lead to cervical cancer depends on two necessary conditions: high-risk HPV + persistent infection.

In particular, persistent infection with the "king of viruses" HPV16 and 18 is most likely to lead to cervical cancer.

Can HPV infection be cured?

At present, humans do not have any effective treatment for HPV virus. They mainly rely on the individual's own immunity. Interferon and other drugs are to improve immunity but not directly deal with the virus. For most women, HPV infection is equivalent to a cold in the cervix, but the virus is not cleared in 7 days, but in 1-2 years.

Therefore, our goal is to "treat the disease but not the poison", that is, we only carry out symptomatic treatment when HPV infection causes cervical lesions. Various physical treatments and cone biopsy for cervical lesions can eliminate most of the HPV, which is the so-called "treating the disease is treating the poison".