TREATMENT OF HPV

Go To Back

Most people with HPV have no signs or symptoms and HPV will clear up by itself.

Unlike other sexually transmitted infections, HPV is caused by a virus and viruses cannot be cured with antibiotics. There is currently no medical cure to eliminate the HPV virus. Four types of HPV cause the majority of genital warts (types 6 and 11) and most cases of cervical cancer (types 16 and 18). Two vaccines are now available in Canada; one protects against types 16 and 18 and the other against all four types. You should speak to your physician about this option.

Treatment depends on the type of HPV virus you have contracted. If you have contracted the low risk types of HPV that cause genital warts, the warts can be removed with treatment at home or at your physician's office. If you have contracted high risk types of HPV that cause cervical, anal or other genital cancer, the treatment will depend on the stage of development at the time of diagnosis.

Treatment of genital and anal warts

There are home therapies available and some treatment options are available in the doctor's office. The average timeframe required for the successful treatment of cervical, anal and genital warts is approximately eight (8) months. Eliminating the visible aspect of the warts will not always eliminate the HPV virus completely and the warts can reappear.

If there are too many warts or they are bulky your physician may recommend one of the following treatment options:

Chemical treatment methods (cryotherapy) can be painful, embarrassing and may cause scarring. Direct application of two powerful chemicals (podophyllin and trichloroacetic acid) can destroy external genital and anal warts, but this must be repeated several times.
A new product, imiquimod cream (Aldara) is now available and has some success at stimulating the immune system to fight the virus when it causes external genital and anal warts.

There are factors that will affect the successful treatment of genital and anal warts such as smoking, having a diet deficient in Vitamin A or having another sexually transmitted infection



Treatment of pre-cancerous lesions

Pre-cancerous lesions rarely cause any noticeable symptoms. These are usually detected through a Pap test (smear) or a colposcopy. It does take many years (as much as 10 years) for pre-cancerous cells to develop into cancer, so having a regular Pap test will ensure that any abnormal cells are detected early. The most common reason a woman develops cervical cancer is because she did not have a Pap test.

Pre-cancerous lesions can usually be treated successfully. Options at this stage can include loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) which involves the removal of a tissue using a wire loop. Other treatments include laser therapy or cryotherapy.

Treatment of HPV related cancer

Once you have been diagnosed with cervical cancer, it means there is invasive cancer in the deeper layers of the cervix and has spread to the uterus. If the cancer is limited to the cervix, it can be treated with the removal of the uterus (hysterectomy).

If the cancer involves the anus or other genital area, the cancer can be treated by surgery or radiation therapy.

Tweet