1. How is HPV treated?
There is no treatment for the itself, but the body's immune system is usually able to fight it off within a couple years. There are treatments, however, for the diseases the virus causes. Genital warts can be removed using chemicals, by freezing them or burning them off electrically, or via surgery or lasers. For most people, this treatment will clear the warts. If warts return repeatedly, the doctor may try injecting them with the drug interferon. Untreated genital warts can disappear on their own, stay the same, or grow in size and number and cluster in large masses.
Abnormal Pap smears can be treated in a variety of ways, from monitoring over a period of months to see if they return to normal, to cryosurgery that freezes and destroys infected cells in the cervix, to procedures that excise problem tissue. Catching cervical changes early is key to avoiding cervical cancer, which is more difficult to treat.
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2. How can HPV be prevented?
In June 2006, the FDA approved a called "Gardisil" for the prevention of HPV in females. The vaccine protects against four types of HPV that cause most
cervical cancers (subtypes 16 and 18) and genital warts (subtypes 6 and 11). It is given in three doses over a period of six months and is most effective if given before becoming sexually active. For additional information on prevention, visit the
National HPV & Cervical Cancer Prevention Resource Center.
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3. Are men screened for HPV infection?
Men are not routinely screened for HPV infection unless they fall into a high-risk category. The current commercially available tests – the
Pap smear and DNA HPV tests – are not approved for testing samples from males. However, some specialty labs have validated DNA tests for analyzing anal swabs from males. HPV-related cancers in men are very rare.
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