Cervical Cancer and HPV: A Preventable Disease
Ali A. Lateef
June 2025
While breast cancer is linked to a number of genetic and environmental factors, cervical cancer is overwhelmingly a virus-linked condition. Specifically, the human papillomavirus (HPV) is responsible for 95% of cervical malignancies.[7] It is this link between HPV and cervical cancer that makes eliminating the latter a possibility by controlling and eradicating the former.
Overview
HPV is not one entity, but instead a group of variant yet similar pathogens. It is linked to many types of cancer in addition to cervical cancer such as vulvar, vaginal, anorectal, oropharyngeal, and penile cancers.
Most infections with HPV are effectively handled by the immune system without any long-term issues and often without the person knowing they were even infected because of a lack of symptoms. If, however, it does persist, and it’s one of the cancer-causing (oncogenic) types, then it becomes a source of concern.
In symptomatic infections with certain HPV types, warts start developing in various areas including the hands and feet, mouth and face, and/or the anal and genital areas, resolving on their own in a matter of 1-2 years. These wart-causing types are not connected to cancers, and the oncogenic types usually cause completely silent infections.
After 15-20 years of infection with an oncogenic type, cancerous development could be seen in the cervix. Early stages are often asymptomatic and only when there’s been significant growth can cancer symptoms usually be seen.[5]
The Lived Experience
Cervical cancer takes decades to develop, and symptoms can take time to appear, so for most patients hearing the news that they’ve got cancer is often a blindsiding experience, and they have little time to fully digest the news as they must hastily decide upon a treatment plan.
When they arise, symptoms include abnormal vaginal bleeding or discharge (post-menopause, between periods, after sex, or heavier/longer than usual), pelvic pain, and in more progressive disease swelling of the legs and urinary or bowel issues.[2]
Within weeks, a person can go from believing themself to be completely healthy to possibly preparing to undergo surgery that may approach a radical hysterectomy.
Chemotherapy, radiation, and brachytherapy (internal radiation) can cause a host of side effects: nausea and vomiting, fatigue, anxiety, skin issues, bowel and urinary issues, and loss of appetite/weight, with the whole experience being physically tiring and emotionally draining.
Throughout this journey, support from friends and family provides a lifeline for many patients to not lose themselves in worry and doubt, and support from their partners can help maintain the connection of intimacy between them.[1]
Prevention, Protection, Treatment
The principal method of HPV control is vaccination, with the American CDC recommending routine vaccination at 11-12 years of age.
The vaccine currently used in the USA is the 9-valent Gardasil®, meaning that it protects against 9 HPV types, most notable among them are types 16 and 18 which alone cause 66% of cervical cancers. Overall, the types covered by the vaccine account for about 81% of all cervical cancer cases.[6]
Practicing safe sex has some efficacy in protecting against HPV, although condoms don’t offer full skin protection and a significant percentage of the sexually active population is infected at any given time, so the main prevention strategy remains vaccination, accompanied with safe sex and limiting the number of sexual partners.[4]
If someone gets infected with HPV, there’s currently no cure for it, but that may change in the future as a new vaccine, Vvax001, is being tested as a potential treatment for type 16 positive patients with premalignant developments in their cervix.[3] Findings from its phase 2 trial were published in March of this year, so there’s still more testing to be done before it becomes available.
Conclusion
While HPV has a tendency towards malignancy, the process occurs at a very slow rate making the development of cancers span decades.
Cervical cancer symptoms can take time to arise, and when they do arise they’re sometimes confused for other conditions which delays proper diagnosis and treatment, making routine Pap smears essential for accurate early diagnoses.
By educating ourselves and future generations about how we can protect ourselves from this disease, sharing the stories of survivors, promoting vaccination, and attending regular screenings, we can become one of the last generations to ever suffer from this disease.
References
[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Cervical cancer screening and survivor stories. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/cervical-cancer/stories/index.html
[2] Cervical cancer symptoms: Signs of cervical cancer. Cervical Cancer Symptoms | Signs of Cervical Cancer | American Cancer Society. (2024, October 2). https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/cervical-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/signs-symptoms.html
[3] Eerkens, A. L., Esajas, M. D., Brummel, K., Vledder, A., van Rooij, N., Plat, A., Avalos Haro, S. B., Paijens, S. T., Slagter-Menkema, L., Schuuring, E., Werner, N., Kosterink, J. G. W., Kroesen, B.-J., Wilschut, J. C., Daemen, T., Bart, J., Nijman, H. W., de Bruyn, M., & Yigit, R. (2025). VVAX001, a therapeutic vaccine, for patients with HPV16-positive high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia: A phase II trial. Clinical Cancer Research, 31(6), 1016–1026. https://doi.org/10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-24-1662
[4] How to protect against HPV. American Cancer Society. (2024, April 30). https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/hpv/hpv-prevention.html
[5] HPV and cancer. NCI. (2025, May 9). https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/infectious-agents/hpv-and-cancer
[6] HPV vaccine administration | CDC. CDC. (2021, November 16). https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/hpv/hcp/administration.html
[7] World Health Organization. (2024, March 5). Cervical cancer. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cervical-cancer
