Genital Warts Risk Factors That Lead to Cervical Cancer

There are certain risks involved in having Genital Warts, and these will influence what your treatment is, and how soon you receive treatment. One of the risks that you face with Genital Warts and high risk strains of HPV is that of Cervical Cancer. Although Cervical Cancer is the most commonly and widely known about, if somebody has a high risk strain of genital HPV warts they are open to cancer of not only the cervix, but also of the vagina, penis, anus, or throat amongst others.

However, it should also be said I think that just because you get HPV, it doesn’t mean that you will get Cervical Cancer. On the other hand, if someone has cancer, like cervical cancer for instance, they could be subject to recurrent effects of Genital Warts. It’s not always easy to know whether the genital warts came first of the cancer, but there can be no doubt that the two are linked in some ways.

For a woman who has been diagnosed with genital warts, a pap smear should be taken at least once every six months or so. After the first bout of warts has cleared up this is to make sure that there is no recurring of the HPV genital warts, and that there are no abnormal cell changes which could result to Cervical Cancer. This holds especially true if the warts were found on the cervix, as in some cases, there can be precancerous cell changes made by the genital warts.

This precancerous cell change is referred to as Dysplasia and can be diagnosed by a pap smear. That’s why a woman who has had genital warts on the cervix should get a pap smear every three months. This continued monitoring of your progress can help to warn you if cervical cancer is probable. If this is the case then all possible steps should be taken to remove the precancerous cells before Cervical Cancer can develop.

For the most part these cell changes will be on the outermost cells of the cervix, but in some cases where the warts have gone untreated, or where they are overlooked, the changes can occur at a deeper level in your skin. Like I said a pap smear should be taken every three months or so, but you can probably stop it after receiving three consecutive normal pap smear results. You should also be aware that although a pap smear might show dysplastic cell changes to your cervical tissues these could be harmless and not be an indication of Cervical Cancer.