 | | | | Related Healthscout Videos | |
|
Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 The study authors wrote that there appears to be a "synergistic" relationship between heavy smoking and high levels of a specific strain of HPV.
Current smokers who had signs of HPV infection at the time of their first Pap smear were more than 14 times more likely to show signs of precancerous lesions than current smokers who weren't infected.
And heavy smokers who had high levels of HPV when first tested were 27 times more likely to have precancerous lesions. Among nonsmokers, however, high HPV levels only raised their risk by six times.
Text Continues Below
There's an important caveat: Since few American women develop cervical cancer now, a woman's chances of developing the disease still remain small.
It's not clear why smoking raises the risk of cervical cancer, but Gunnell said it may have something to do with how cigarette smoke affect the immune system. Both smoking and HPV affect molecules known as cytokines, which control tumor growth, he said.
What to do? Prevention is the first step, Gunnell said. "Women with HPV -- especially those with high HPV (levels) -- and who smoke are in a higher risk group. They should take particular care in being checked regularly. Obviously, it is to their benefit to also stop smoking."
Meanwhile, research will help scientists get a better handle on what causes cervical cancer, Gunnell said. "There are probably no immediate applications of this research regarding treatment per se. Of course, in science, every little bit counts, and you never know when a small bit of information can make a big difference to someone else's research."
More information
The American Cancer Society ( www.cancer.org ) has more on risk factors for cervical cancer.
Page: << Prev | 1 | 2
|
.gif)
