SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF HISTORICAL EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDY TRENDS IN ESTABLISHING THE CAUSAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HPV AND CERVICAL CANCER:
For centuries, the etiology of cancer of the cervix remained unknown and there were several attempts by past scientists to establish the cause of cervical cancer without much success. However, the earliest breakthroughs came in the 1930s while Dr Richard Shope of the Rockefeller University was working on wild rabbits that had developed “horn”, which upon further analysis, was caused by a virus that could be transmitted. This discovery played a crucial part in the subsequent studies by Dr Zur Hausen (Cummings 2011).
According to Moghissi and Mack (1968), one of the earliest epidemiological studies to probe into the relationship between sexual intercourse and cervical cancer involved prostitutes in a prison in the U.S whose exceptional social peculiarities bordered on sexual intercourse with multiple partners. This epidemiological study concluded by identifying early exposure to coitus and multiple sexual partners as the primary etiologic bases for the development of cancer of the cervix.
In the classic research by Gagnon involving the study of 13,000 Canadian Nuns, he found no single case of cervical cancer (cited in Fenoglio 1982). This was a significant finding in that it concretized the association between sexual exposure and cancer of the cervix thereby paving the way for further descriptive studies to investigate the relationship.
Almost all cervical carcinomas are caused by Human papillomavirus (HPV). Cervical cancer can be a life-threating disease. However, over recent years the occurrence of cervical cancer has declined as well as the chance of dying from it. A huge contributing factor to this decline is the importance of a regular pap smear. A pap smear can find cervical pre-cancer before it turns into cancer. Recently, a vaccine for HPV, has been on the market, which provides close to a 100% protection against pre-cancer and general warts. HPV and cervical cancer are two disease that are closely related. However, each disease effects not only similar populations, but also different populations, as well as having its own signs and symptoms, detection procedures,
Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancerous death, in women, since 1950. Approximately 200,000 cervical cancer patients die each year in developing countries. Strains like HPV 16 and 18 cause about 70% of cervical cancer in women– one of the top causes of death in the world (WebMD, 2010, p.1). In the Unites States, about 10,000 women acquire the disease and 3,700 die annually Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is directly associated as a cause of cervical cancer. This virus affects the skin and genital area and, in some cases, it can also infect the throat and mouth. Since the HPV is passed from one person to another through skin-to-skin or sexual contact, sexually active people are more prone to this virus. Merck
In the state of Florida, between 1981 and 2009, there was a higher incidence of cervical, vaginal, and penile cancer in the black population, a higher incidence of anal cancer in the Hispanic population, and a
Did you know there is more of a link between cervical cancer and HPV than smoking and lung cancer? Cervical cancer is currently the fourth most common cancer in women and the second leading cause of death from cancer in women. Along with those statistics, human papillomavirus is the most common sexually transmitted viral disease amongst men and women worldwide. The prevalence of women having a strain of HPV that ultimately leads to or increases the chance of cervical cancer is highly relatable. What is pathophysiology, signs, symptoms, prevention, and treatments of this ailment? You might ask will be covered in the next few pages of this paper.
Human Papilloma Virus, known to most people as HPV, is an infectious disease that has become one of top causes of cervical cancer in women. With shocking surge in HPV prevalence, researchers are encouraged to discover more about this virus and how it leads to cervical cancer. Until recently, not many knew what HPV was; there hasn’t been enough research conducted on the virus. In fact, HPV was not significant enough to be taught in the Sexual Education classrooms as an Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI). Years of research yielded information about how one contracts the virus, the symptoms or lack of symptoms, treatment and prevention for HPV.
Cervical cancer has been around since the late 1900’s. Scientists like Zur Hausen found novel HPV- DNA biopsies, this discovering HPV causes cervical cancer. Cervical cancer affects the lower part of the vagina or the walls of the pelvis. (Medline plus) Cervical cancer has been detrimental to women all over the U.S.
HPV-associated anal and oral cancers are increasing. The reason is still unclear although sexual behavior changes in the general population are postulated as one of the factors. The incidence is drastically higher in specific risk groups, such as men who have sex with men, and HIV-1 infected individuals. Interestingly, anal cancer is predominant in women while a higher incidence of oral cancer is found in men. This review gives a brief summary of epidemic, risk factors, mechanisms, diagnosis, and treatment of these two HPV-associated cancers.
There are tests and screenings that can be performed to detect any abnormal cell growth in the cervix. The pap test is most common. This test looks for any unusual cells in the cervix that could be pre cancerous. American Cancer Society gives the following guidelines for screening which include getting a pap test every 3 years at 21 years of age or after becoming sexually active, having a pap and HPV screening every 5 years at the age of 30 years, and discontinuing screening after the age of 65 (“Cervical”, n.d.). According to research done by Dr. Phil Castle, NIH, “women who tested negative for the both had only a one percent risk of precancerous lesions in ten years” (Saraiya, 2009). The HPV screening is very important because HPV sixteen and eighteen are the cause of seventy percent of all the cervical cases reported (Vescro, 2011). The creation of the HPV vaccine is something that will help prevent cervical cancer in the younger female generation. Cindy Krueger suggested that pre teens, who have not been sexually active yet, receive this vaccination in order to prevent infection later in life. She also goes on to say that the food and nutrients we take in play a major role in cancer prevention. Her research shows that many Americans are lacking in many vitamins that then leave them more susceptible to disease and illness (Krueger, 2009). Nurses play an important role in educating
As many as 1,400 women in Canada are diagnosed with cancer of the cervix each year. More than 400 die from it (Mah et al, 2011).
The human papilloma virus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted disease, with a worldwide point prevalence of 11.7%., in the United States over 79 million people are already infected with HPV, and over 14 million new HPV infections occur each year CITE 1,2,5. HPV affecting both men and women, has an estimated lifetime prevalence of 80-90%, it is likely that most sexually active people will become infected with HPV before the age of 45 CITE 1, 3. Although over 100 HPV genotypes have been identified, only 40 infect the genital area. These 40 are further subdivided into high risk oncogenic genotypes, and low risk the genotypes responsible for genital warts and recurrent papillomatosis CITE 8,3. HPV is associated with virtually all cervical cancers, and over 90% of anal cancers CITE 1. The cost of preventing and treating HPV and its associated diseases is estimated at eight billion dollars annually
It has been debated whether or not smoking causes cervical cancer but it may increase ones vulnerability to other illnesses, tobacco substances have been found in cervical mucus of smokers. HIV damages the immune system’s ability to destroy cancer cells
For this hypothesis the author pointed out clearly how men of the same age are more heterogeneous than women are known to be, unlike women most men are just carriers of HPV virus and can pass from one partner to the else with them not getting any infection. Unfortunately, with the new generation’s irresponsible sexual behaviour, it is evident that both sexes increase the risk of infection of cervical cancer.
The decrease in cervical cancer incidence is largely a result of early detection through cervical cancer screening (Siegel, Ma, Zou, & Jemal, 2014). Despite these reductions, certain ethnic or racial minorities and low-income women residing in the United States experience an excess burden of cervical cancer. For example, African Americans and Hispanics experience an approximately 1.5 times increased incidence rate of cervical cancer as compared to non-Hispanic Whites (Siegel et al., 2014). Furthermore, the prevalence of HPV infection among these two ethnic groups is also greater compared to Whites (Hariri et al., 2011). As compared to the United States, Middle Eastern countries tend to have a low incidence rate of cervical cancer,
There are many risk factors that may lead up to a woman developing cervical cancer. The most common risk factor is the Human Papilloma virus (HPV). Doctors have discovered that cervical cancer does not develop without HPV present. Smoking is almost always a risk factor in the development of cancerous cells. For women that smoke, tobacco by-products can be found in their cervical mucus. The by-products also cause damage to DNA of the cervix cells Which in turn cause the immune system to break down
Although cancer of the cervix is known to be a preventable cancer, it still remains one of the major causes of cancer deaths in females under 60 years old.1,2 In developed regions,