Berman - Figure 7 - Patient Education re: HPV (cont'd)
We must tell all women that the longer HPV infection persists there is greater risk that abnormal cells will develop. If a woman is HPV (+), it does not mean she will develop cancer. I will follow her carefully, because if precancer develops, we can find it, treat it, and prevent cancer from occurring in most cases.
When HPV is detected or a Pap is abnormal, we do not know when you got the virus. It could have been there for a very long time. Yes, it could have been there for decades.
In summary, HPV infection is common, but cancer is rare and takes a long time to develop. That is what makes cervical cancer a preventable cancer. The purpose of screening is to find pre cancer and treat it in order to prevent cancer.
