Follow-up is essential for HPV reduction and cervical cancer prevention

Diagnosis and surveillance of gynecological diseases for the prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is essential to reduce the incidence of HPV and ultimately detect cervical cancer, which according to the general director of the medical course at USCS (Caetano Municipal University of São Paulo), Sergio Maccabi, although attendance drops during the pandemic, there are more than 17,000 diagnoses annually in Brazil.

However, HPV has two types, McCabe reported in an interview with RDtv Not all cases of the disease develop into cancer, but the cause of the cervix is ​​the HPV type B – the tumor, which can cause secretions and infection, but the symptoms are not characteristic of the disease, which reinforces the need for gynecological examinations. Type A cases – non-carcinogenic, on the other hand, the diagnosis is simpler, as there is a birth of warts in the vulvar area in a woman, and there is no risk of developing cancer.

“The diagnostic test is the Pap test, so when it’s collected, the woman will be examined and if there is an infection, it will be identified,” he says. The recommendation is for a woman to go to a gynecologist at least once a year, and after three negative results from a Pap smear, it is not necessary for a woman to harvest each year. “It might be every three years, but it is clear that during this period if a woman has contact or any symptoms of HPV, she should look for a gynecologist,” he says.

The doctor also notes that despite the high number of cases, many women can develop the disease, but the body does the task of eliminating it from the body. Initially, when a woman has been in contact with the human papillomavirus, there is a transient infection. The woman contracts and the body annihilates itself. Only in a small percentage, from 10% to 15% of this infection, does it become persistent and then can turn into colon cancer, ”he explains.

The disease is sexually transmitted, according to the director general, and women should treat HPV like any other sexually transmitted disease, which, unlike other diseases, has a cure and a cure. “Don’t get caught in a bus seat, toilet, or towel. You have to think of HPV like any other sexually transmitted infection and be careful in your relationships with partners. Use a condom. This is the most effective method.”

In treating the disease, women use antiviral medications, as well as treatments and medications for the Type A condition for warts. In cases of type B, McCabe tells that tissue changes can often occur that precede cancer, but that there is surgery that removes the lesion and prevents the disease from progressing.