HPV: A Brief History

Attribution: Novartis AG

The subject of cancer is always a sobering one since the notion of a cure is far from being a reality. Despite all the awareness, all the charity, and all of the races for the cure, cancer continues to decimate the human population with no discernible end in sight - it is arguably the greatest medical obstacle that our race faces.

We are not helpless against every type of cancer, however. In fact, the discovery that cervical cancer was mostly caused by viral infection was an enormous stride for scientific thought in the fields of gynecology and oncology: viruses, as we all know, can be prevented through vaccination; cervical cancer became something that could potentially be avoided by taking a few trips to the doctor's office.

At the beginning of the 1990s scientists began developing a defense against the human papillomavirus (HPV), the virus which is responsible for many, many cases of cervical cancer. Like most viruses, the vaccine needed to be able to introduce a person's immune system to a 'clone' of the HPV virus in order for the system to learn how to effectively interact with, and defeat, the intruding virus. If exposed to authentic HPV in the future, the vaccinated person's immune system would already be...acquainted with, so to speak...the alien virus, making it possible to neutralize the virus before infection and subsequent disease are allowed to take place.

This was revolutionary, because research later went on to suggest that HPV was not only responsible for cervical cancer, but for cancers of the mouth, throat, rectum, and genitals. Not to mention, prevention of HPV meant that it would lose mobility, and wouldn't be transmitted to other subjects through sexual activity.

Over 40 different strains of HPV have been observed in the virus' history, with strains ranging from the innocuous to the cancer-causing. In fact, about 50% of women between the ages of 14 and 59 have contracted some type of genital HPV in their lifetime. HPV often manifests as small warts on the body's extremities (hands and feet), but can also be indicated by fleshy warts in the genital regions. The viral strains that cause these growths are considered "low-risk", and although they lead to mild skin growth they are not as harmful as their "high-risk" counterparts which can lead to uncontrolled cell growth and, possibly, cancer. A recent article from Science Daily provided an apt illustration for this type of rogue cell production:

Human cells infected with high-risk HPVs have trouble stopping mistakes made in new cells. The infected cells are like an auto assembly line with no supervisor: New cars roll off the line, but some are missing pieces. Just as production mistakes can make a car ride dangerous, mistakes in infected mucosa can drive a cell toward cancer.

The HPV vaccine was developed to prepare the body for this kind of runaway cell generation. The vaccine offers the body's immune system a preview of the virus without any of the serious adverse affects of full-fledged contraction. Because of this, a vaccinated person can be up to 1000 times more prepared for an HPV attack than a person who is not vaccinated.

Types 16 and 18 of the HPV virus are two that are considered high-risk and result in cervical lesions and genital warts in some patients. However, it is believed that this type of HPV can be prevented with just two doses of Gardasil, the current HPV vaccine. HPV is something that can't be ignored, simply because it is so preventable. Gynecologists like the ones at Frisco Women's Health are available to educate you on HPV and provide professional evaluations of your health.