Could I have cervical cancer?

Dear Dr Mitchell,

From about July last year I went to the doctor and I was diagnosed with HPV/genital warts. I got the warts removed but they reappeared. I have never done a pap smear before. Could I have cervical cancer and not know? Does the same HPV that causes genital warts cause cervical cancer? Will the disease ever go away or will it stay in my body forever? Could you please give me some more information on HPV/genital warts because I didn't know about it until I got it.

The Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted virus that causes genital warts and cervical cancer. There are over a hundred types of human papilloma virus but only a few cause infections like genital warts. The types that mainly cause genital warts are types 6 and 11. Types 16, 18, 45 and 31 are the four most common types that cause cervical cancer. The human papilloma virus also causes cancer of the vulva, anus, throat, and the penis.

The risk for contracting the HPV is there once you have ever been sexually active. It is present in over 80 per cent of women under 30 years old who have ever been sexually active. Most women fortunately clear their system of the virus even without treatment. The younger women with healthy, strong immune systems are the best ones to get rid of the virus. Some women unfortunately do not have good immune systems and develop persistent infections and this is what causes cervical cancer. As you get older, the chance of the virus staying in your system is greater and the risk of cervical cancer increases.

All women who are 21 years of age and older should have a pap smear done every one to two years. The fact that you have genital warts increases your risk for cervical cancer so you should definitely get a pap smear done. It is important for you to get the warts removed and also to have a colposcopy done to see if you have warts on the cervix or in the vagina. Colposcopy is a detailed examination of the cervix using a high-powered microscope. This will determine if you have precancerous changes in the cervix or even cancer of the cervix. It is important that you also get tested for other sexually transmitted infections such as syphilis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Your sexual partner should also be checked for the presence of the human papilloma virus so that you can both be treated to help to reduce recurrence.

The long-term goal is to prevent the transmission of the HPV infection and hence cervical cancer and other HPV-related cancers. Condom usage only gives a 75 per cent protection against HPV transmission since the virus may be present in areas on the genital area that condoms do not cover. This is effective for HIV prevention but does not offer the kind of coverage that would be effective to prevent HPV infection.

Barbados again! Another Jamaican woman says she was mistreated ...

Yet another Jamaican woman has come forward with accusations of mistreatment by the authorities at the Grantley Adams International Airport in Bridgetown, Barbados.

Although Donna Benjamin-McLean’s alleged case of abuse occurred in September 2004, she has decided to come public in solidarity with Shanique Myrie — a Jamaican woman who has bitterly complained of being strip searched, finger-raped, verbally abused and locked up before being shipped out of Barbados without a reasonable explanation.

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I have to put my 2 cents in 2004 I visited Barbados and the treatment thats was given to me as a citizen of Dominica was unheard of, they are speaking of one Caribbean but that is BS. That immigration officer did not take a second look at my passport he just assume that I was from the Dominican Republic and put me to sit on a bench maybe some of you know that famous bench. I sat there for 2 hour, every time I tryed talking to some body I was told sit there and wait when I saw another officer passing by, I called him to asked questioned him about the situation thats when he said let me look into it. Their excuse was they were having migration problem with citizens from the Dominican Republic which they were trying to control. I sat there looking at American citizens just showing their drivers license to immigration officers and sent on their way while we who are suppose to be one people are treated with such disgrace.

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