Smokers have a high risk of HPV infection and are more likely to go on to get cervical cancer.
THE HUMAN papilloma viruses (HPVs) are a group of more than 70 different types of viruses. They are given numbers to distinguish them. HPV's can be transmitted through sexual intercourse. Some of the HPV viruses can cause genital warts - those numbered HPV 6 and HPV 11. These two are sometimes called low risk because they are not associated with cervical cancer.
Some types of HPV are linked to cervical cancer particularly numbers 16, 18, 30 and 33. They are called high-risk because just about all cervical cancers are positive for high-risk HPV. This association is so strong that scientists in this area think that the very small number of cervical cancers that test negatively for HPV have come about because there was a problem with the HPV testing, rather than because the infection wasn't there in the first place.
On the other hand, many women who are infected with high-risk HPVs do not go on to develop cervical cancer. So there are other factors at work too, such as smoking.
Women who smoke and have a high-risk HPV infection are more likely to go on to get cervical cancer. It is important to remember that regular cervical screening will pick up abnormal cervical cells before they become cervical cancers. So even if you have HPV and smoke, you can prevent cervical cancer. You could also stop smoking, of course!
VIRUS CAN BE LATENT
The HPV virus can be latent. That means that it can be present but not active. It is possible for someone to have been infected at some point in the past and for the virus to be asleep or dormant. HPV can lie dormant and be undetected for many years before it becomes active. It may not cause any symptoms and you may not even know that you have it. Only certain strains cause genital warts and the other strains can be present but go completely unnoticed. Most HPV infections disappear without treatment, as the body's immune system fights the infection.
Women who are not high-risk HPV-positive and have an abnormal smear are very unlikely to develop cervical cancer so they may be having further smear tests and a colposcopy that they do not need.
