Cervical Cancer Awareness Month
2025-01-20
HPV & Cervical Cancer
The persistence of the infection caused by one or several of the so called high risk Human Papillomavirus (HPVHR),namely the HPV: 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 66 and 68), associated with behavioral or host related cofactors, is necessary for CC to develop.
These small naked DNA viruses are very resistant and very contagious. The infection is usually quickly self-limiting, but the persistence of high-risk HPV within the epithelium, particulary HPV16, is responsible for a course leading to cervical cancer, but also other ENT cancers those of the ana-genital tract HPV 16 and HPV 18 alone are responsible for 80% of CCs and 60% of pre-cancerous lesions in France.