‘Ubiquitous virus’: Geisinger says cervical cancer diagnoses on the rise as people visit hospitals more regularly
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While cervical cancer is specific to females, as it grows in the cervix, an organ at the lower end of the uterus, it is almost exclusively caused by a virus that does not discriminate between victims.
"What causes it, for the most part, is HPV -- the human papillomavirus. It's accurate to say that cervical cancer, for the most part, actually is a type of STI or sexually transmitted infection because it's caused by HPV, that basically you get through sexual contact," said Dr. Scott Purinton, MD, PhD, chief of gynecologic oncology at Geisinger Medical Center, Danville. "Now, there are exceptions to this rule. There are cervical cancers that are not HPV dependent."
"I always say in medicine, you can't use the words all or none, but for the most part, it's caused by HPV," he added.
In order to prevent HPV, Purinton suggests women undergo Pap smear screening every three to five years, depending on the individual's need.
"They should start Pap smear screening at age 21. And then it depends upon the result. If it's normal, they may not need another one for three to five years depending on the age, but the point is, initiate at 21," Purinton said.
According to Purinton, the sooner irregular cells are detected, the easier it is for doctors to intervene early.
"The Pap smear was a test that was designed to detect cervical dysplasia. So dysplasia is not cancer, you could call it pre cancer. We have a wonderful test that can detect cervical cancer before it's cancer. In other words, when it's pre cancer, we can actually intervene early," Purinton said. "So the Pap smears part is the first half and then we now have the HPV vaccine that's FDA approved, actually for both boys and girls, between the ages of nine and 14. So if women are compliant with Pap smears, and they're vaccinated, they significantly lower their risk of developing cervical cancer in the future," Purinton said.
According to studies, there has recently been an increase in cervical cancer diagnoses. According to Purinton, this could be a result of people returning to regular doctor visits as communities move forward from the coronavirus pandemic.
"Why I think that we're probably detecting more is because women are coming in for their Pap smears. The other thing too is I can tell you that, with COVID-19, a lot of patients were very fearful to come into the hospital," Purinton said. "I think for a while, patients were not compliant with testing."
"I think for the most part, people are kind of over it and they realize that they're going to have to come out of their house at some point," he added.
Having a healthy immune system is crucial in preventing HPV. Immunocompromised individuals are some of those at the greatest risk.
"The healthier your immune system is, the better chance that you have of fighting off HPV. What I tell my patients is that pretty much everyone is exposed to the virus. I use the word ubiquitous. It's a ubiquitous virus. Everyone's exposed to it and typically your immune system deals with it. So it's not a problem," Purinton said. "If you are immunocompromised, if you have an immunocompromising disease, you're going to be less equipped to be able to fight off with the vaccine," he added.
"Another big risk factor we actually see is people that abuse tobacco. Smokers typically have a very, very difficult time clearing the virus," Purinton said. "So I would say in addition to being compliant with screening and getting vaccinated, lead as healthy a lifestyle as possible."
For more information on cervical cancer and other types of cancer, visit www.geisinger.org/cancercare.