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Women may be at risk of HPV, cancer
Lauren Weiner
Issue date: 11/22/06 Section: Other News
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College females should know they are prime candidates for contracting human papillomavirus, a common sexually transmitted disease that can lead to cervical cancer, according to Amanda Alvey, director of Health and Wellness promotion. College women also need to know that a vaccine is now available that protects against warts and cancer caused by the virus, Alvey said.
The vaccination was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for young women between 9 and 26 years old. According to Dr. John Moroney, a Houston gynecologist. HPV occurs in 75 percent of sexually active women, most often in those younger than 25.
Moroney said between 150 and 200 subtypes of HPV exist. Of these, about 100 are sexually transmitted and it is in that group that the types causing cervical cancer are found. Although there is no cure for HPV, a woman's body will usually clear out the virus on its own. But, this is not always the case, Moroney said.
Doctors diagnose the virus through a pap smear. When results are abnormal, DNA tests can be run on the abnormal cells to determine the risk level of the virus. The vaccine protects against the four highest-risk types of cancer-causing HPV, Moroney said.
The vaccine is still very new, but even so studies have suggested that it can provide four to five years of persistent protection. Moroney, a Catholic, said he agrees with most doctors who believe that girls should be vaccinated before they are sexually active. He said the vaccination does not promote promiscuity, as some conservative and religious critics claim.
Alvey also agreed, noting that the vaccine is controversial because people associate it with sex rather than with cancer. She said that people will interpret their findings and knowledge differently according to their predispositions.
Moroney said that it is a matter of priority whether a university provides the HPV vaccination as it does the meningitis shot. Meningitis could wipe out an entire campus while the deadly strains of HPV are less common, he said.
The vaccination was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for young women between 9 and 26 years old. According to Dr. John Moroney, a Houston gynecologist. HPV occurs in 75 percent of sexually active women, most often in those younger than 25.
Moroney said between 150 and 200 subtypes of HPV exist. Of these, about 100 are sexually transmitted and it is in that group that the types causing cervical cancer are found. Although there is no cure for HPV, a woman's body will usually clear out the virus on its own. But, this is not always the case, Moroney said.
Doctors diagnose the virus through a pap smear. When results are abnormal, DNA tests can be run on the abnormal cells to determine the risk level of the virus. The vaccine protects against the four highest-risk types of cancer-causing HPV, Moroney said.
The vaccine is still very new, but even so studies have suggested that it can provide four to five years of persistent protection. Moroney, a Catholic, said he agrees with most doctors who believe that girls should be vaccinated before they are sexually active. He said the vaccination does not promote promiscuity, as some conservative and religious critics claim.
Alvey also agreed, noting that the vaccine is controversial because people associate it with sex rather than with cancer. She said that people will interpret their findings and knowledge differently according to their predispositions.
Moroney said that it is a matter of priority whether a university provides the HPV vaccination as it does the meningitis shot. Meningitis could wipe out an entire campus while the deadly strains of HPV are less common, he said.