Cervical Cancer can be Inhibited by Certain Human Papillomavirus

According to a new study, cervical cancer can be prevented by few types of papilloma viruses.

Cervical cancer is caused by human papillomavirus. Although most women's bodies fight HPV infection on their own, in a few women, the infection can lead to cancer.

The study was conducted by researchers from The University of Manchester. Data for the study was obtained from human papilloma virus strains taken from HIV-positive and HIV-negative women in Kenya.

Researchers found that a certain type of HPV (type23) was found in many HIV-positive women, but not in HIV-negative women. Also, this type of HPV wasn't found in cervical cancers from either HIV-positive or HIV-negative women.

Risks of developing cervical cancer increase if the woman infected with HPV smokes, has many children, or is HIV-positive. However, in the present study, women with a certain strain of HPV didn't have cervical cancer.

"It is well known that HIV increases the number of different types of HPV found in any one patient which implies that HIV opens the door for infection with multiple types of HPV. If only high-risk types are present these will undoubtedly accelerate progression to cancer whereas if other types (eg type 53) are also present they may actually compete with the high-risk types to inhibit progression to cervical cancer," said Dr. Ian Hampson, a senior lecturer in Viral Oncology from The University of Manchester and lead author of the study.

The study on HPV and cervical cancer also showed that cervical cancer rates haven't increased in Kenya despite the increase in HIV rates.

Researchers said that more studies are required to understand how HPV type-53 inhibits cancer growth.

"We also need to work out exactly how one type of HPV might suppress the cancer causing properties of another. If it can be proved that HPV type 53 can inhibit the cancer-causing properties of other high-risk types of HPV, this could potentially form the basis of a simple biological therapy to prevent this disease. This could be extremely useful in low resource countries who cannot afford expensive HPV vaccines," said Hampson in a news release.

An estimated 12,000 cases of cervical cancers will be detected in 2013 in the U.S., and about 4,000 women will die due to the cancer, according to data from The National Cancer Institute.

The article by the researchers can be read here.