OK, let's set my emotional issues aside for the moment (as best I can).
I may be mis-interpreting what I am reading, but as I understand it, HPV is, in fact, an STD and does cause "essentially all" cervical cancer. I encourage anyone who has any doubts to read further
at this web site and the American Cancer Society web site for themselves.
Quote:
[From the "National Cervical Cancer Public Education Campaign" web site: http://www.cervicalcancercampaign.org/advance/index.htm This is a program of the Gynecologic Cancer Foundation which was established by the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists (SGO)]
Clinical studies have confirmed that the human papillomavirus, or HPV, is the cause of essentially all cervical cancer. HPV is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the United States. However, the majority of women are unaware of this fact. In a recent survey, 70 percent of women were unable to name the cause of cervical cancer, and 76 percent had never heard of HPV.
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I added the orange color for emphasis and all text within the [] brackets is mine also. I'm not particularly happy with the word "essentially" and will try to find a reference that clarifies this.
Also this is only a partial page from an extensive web site on the subject. I would encourage anyone reading this thread to visit the site and read as much of it as your "dry reading tollerance" will allow.
Quote:
[from the same web site]:
In 2002, ACS [American Cancer Society] published new guidelines for cervical cancer screening and in 2003, ACOG [American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists ] also released new recommendations for screening. Both recognize new cervical cancer screening and detection techniques, and contain important information concerning the prevention and early detection of cervical cancer.
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This next part put a ray of sunshine in my day (even this late at night)...
Quote:
For a woman 30 years of age or older who chooses to have the new combined Pap test and HPV test, if both test results are negative (normal), neither test will need to be repeated more often than every three years. If the Pap test is negative (normal) and the HPV test is positive, then the HPV test should be repeated in 6-12 months. If both tests are positive, a woman’s physician will discuss next steps with her. Women in this age group may also choose to have a regular Pap test without an HPV test.
The new combined test is not recommended for women under the age of 30 because while HPV is very common in women of this age group, cervical cancer is very rare. In most women under the age of 30 who have HPV, the virus will go away before it causes any cell changes or symptoms. Including an HPV test along with the Pap test for younger women provides no real health benefit, and might lead to too many tests and unnecessary treatments.
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The ray of sunshine is due to the fact that I am 28 years old and will, (assuming the test proves negative) be able to get by with a test only every three years.