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| You are at risk for HPV if you have had sex with more than one partner, or have had sex with a person who has had more than one partner. It may be difficult or impossible for you to determine when you were exposed. Your test may show HPV changes or dysplasia (pre-cancerous cells). HPV cannot be grown in a lab and there is no blood test for it. Definitive diagnosis is usually made with a colposcopic exam and biopsies. Women can find more useful information here: theHPVtest.com. Treatment & Prevention Once you have the virus it will always be present in your body, but it can be controlled. By testing for the presence of the virus, the early detection of cervical disease is improved with the consequent saving of lives. Apart from HPV testing, borderline Pap smears can be more accurately evaluated with PAPNET, an FDA approved computer assisted test which helps the pathologist more accurately interpret the Pap smear slide. Sexually-transmitted, high-risk HPVs have been linked with cancer in both men and women; they include HPV types 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 68 and 69. These high-risk HPVs cause growths that are usually flat and nearly invisible when compared with the warts caused by HPV-6 and HPV-11. |
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