Cervical cancer, HPV and the mouth

With Cervical Cancer Awareness Month promoted in January, this is an opportunity to explore some of the common risk factors and how to reduce them.

The current landscape

According to Cancer Research UK, an estimated 3,300 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed in the UK every year – that’s 9 per day and 1 in every 130 females. Incidence is greatest in females aged between 30-34, although around 9% of cases affect women over 75, so everyone should be aware of the symptoms. As is true for many health conditions, inequalities are reported, with females in more deprived areas facing a higher risk.

Sadly, cervical cancer leads to more than 400 deaths annually, despite the survival rate at 10 or more years post-diagnosis being almost 64%.

The silver lining here is that more than 99% of cases are preventable.

The HPV risk factor

There are many factors contributing to a person’s risk of cervical cancer. Age, genetics, and lifestyle factors are just some examples. Those most at risk include:

• Those with a weakened immune system
• Those who have given birth to multiple children, or had children at a young age (under 17)
• Those whose mothers took hormonal medicine DES while pregnant
• Those who have had vaginal, vulval, kidney or bladder cancer previously
• Those who smoke
• Those who have taken the contraceptive pill for more than 5 years

Approximately 21% of cervical cancer cases are caused by smoking with 99.8% caused by infections. In fact, nearly all cervical cancer is caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV).

HPV is transmitted from skin-to-skin contact of the genital area, as well as vaginal, anal or oral sex. The term refers to a common group of viruses that don’t typically lead to visible symptoms, although may present as genital warts in some people. Prevention is achieved with safe sex practises and uptake of the HPV vaccine – which is now available to girls and boys around 12 years old.

Oral health link

Similarly to other systemic health conditions, oral health is linked with the risk of developing cervical cancer. Firstly, oral and cervical cancer share some of the same major risk factors – especially smoking. Secondly, HPV has been associated with oropharyngeal malignancies too. As such, what protects females from one condition, will also help protect them from the other.

So why not take a moment this month to share some information, have a conversation, and raise awareness about cervical cancer?

>Since you’re here, why not read how you could keep your leftover christmas wrapping paper out of landfill? 

Image credit: Unsplash