It seems so many things cause cancer. Smoking, food, even sunlight seem able to turn our bodies against itself. Some cancers can seem inevitable due to a general decline in health, but some seem to happen purely due to a big slice of bad luck.
In what is a really unfortunate truth, contracting a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) could end up in cancer. Cervical, anal, oral, penile and vaginal cancer can be caused by an STD, the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) which is most commonly spread through sexual acts.
Cervical cancer is the 4th most common cancer among women and the 4th most common cause of death for women with cancer. 90% of cervical cancers are caused by HPV infections. Tests for genital warts in Singapore are commonly available in STD clinics and frequent checks are recommended.
The most well-known symptom of HPV is the infamous genital wart. These warts grow at the places where it came into contact with the HPV virus. HPV is the most common STD infecting people. In the United States, a number as high as 80 million infected has been estimated.
On a brighter note, most HPV infections, up to 90%, are handled efficiently by the immune system and nothing further comes about from the infection. HPV infections are split into categories: low and high risk HPVs.
High risk HPVs, also known as oncogenic HPVs, are termed that due to their ability to cause cancerous growths. Low risk HPVs do not have this ability and generally do not manifest in anything more than genital warts.
A single infection by a high risk HPV is very unlikely to sentence one to cancer. However, persistent infections with high-risk HPV types can lead to cell changes that, if left untreated, may progress to cancer.
HPV infects squamous epithelial cells, which essentially refer to the cells covering the skin and mucous membranes. The virus is able to penetrate the cell and produce proteins once the infection has occurred. As normal cell functioning prevents excessive growth, the interference by two of the proteins made by high-risk types will therefore cause the cell to grow uncontrollably.
Usually, this is quickly taken care of by the immune system. However, in the case of a weakened immune system or a chronic infection, infected cells continue to mutate and multiply, building up more and more infected cells. Eventually, these cells are enough to form precancerous lesions, which eventually develop into tumours. This can happen in the cervix, anus, mouth, penis or vagina.
This process doesn’t happen overnight. Typically, high risk infections take 15-20 years to morph into cancer with a normal immune system. However, this time is halved for individuals with weakened immune systems.
Having growths on our genitals might seem bad enough, but HPV could always lead to something more serious. Tests for STDs and genital warts are available in Singapore’s STD clinics, and one should not hesitate to get screened if there is risk of infection.
