Summary: The body's ability to clear an infection by the cancer-causing human papilloma virus (HPV) may be largely due to unpredictable division patterns in HPV-infected stem cells, rather than the strength of the person's immune response as previously thought.
In most cases (9 out of 10), HPV goes away on its own within two years without health problems. But when HPV does not go away, it can cause health problems like genital warts and cancer. Genital warts usually appear as a small bump or group of bumps in the genital area.
Around 90% of HPV infections clear within 2 years. For a small number of women and people with a cervix, their immune system will not be able to get rid of HPV. This is called a persistent infection. A persistent HPV infection causes the cells of the cervix to change.
Options include freezing (cryosurgery), laser, surgical removal, loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) and cold knife conization.
Most cases of HPV infection tend to be cleared by the immune system without intervention 1–2 years post-exposure; it is thought that persistent infection is most likely due to a lack of HPV-specific T-cell immunity [74].
High-risk HPV infections that persist can cause cancer: Sometimes HPV infections are not successfully controlled by your immune system. When a high-risk HPV infection persists for many years, it can lead to cell changes that, if untreated, may get worse over time and become cancer.
It's possible. In most cases, your immune system will eventually get rid of an HPV infection within 2 years. But HPV can stay in our bodies – sometimes without us knowing about it, as it is not detected with a test. This is called dormant or clinically insignificant HPV.
If you're over 30, your body can still clear HPV, but it's less likely at this point. Your doctor may want to perform more testing, like a Pap (if you didn't get one with your HPV test) to see if you also have abnormal cervical cell changes in addition to a positive HPV test.
There is no treatment for the virus itself. However, there are treatments for the health problems that HPV can cause: Genital warts can be treated by your healthcare provider or with prescription medication. If left untreated, genital warts may go away, stay the same, or grow in size or number.
Most studies of HPV persistence have defined persistence as the detection of the same HPV type at 2–3 consecutive visits, each 2–24 months apart [10–18].
Depending on the type of HPV that you have, the virus can linger in your body for years. In most cases, your body can produce antibodies against the virus and clear the virus within one to two years. Most strains of HPV go away permanently without treatment.
Your doctor will probably recommend a follow-up test in a year to see if the infection has cleared or to check for signs of cervical cancer. Negative HPV test. A negative test result means that you don't have any of the types of HPV that cause cervical cancer.
A new treatment is showing promise for people infected with HPV, the human papillomavirus. Until now, nothing was available to clear the infection from the body. Now, researchers say they're seeing success in phase two trials of a new vaccine that helps the body rid itself of the virus.
Anyone who has had sex can get HPV, even if it was only with only one person, but infections are more likely in people who have had many sex partners. Even if a person delays sexual activity until marriage, or only has one partner, they are still at risk of HPV infection if their partner has been exposed.
While HPV doesn't come back after clearing completely, it's difficult to know if an infection has actually been resolved or is simply dormant. Additionally, while you're unlikely to be reinfected with the exact same type of HPV, you can be infected with another strain.
Unfortunately, once you have been infected with HPV, there is no treatment that can cure it or eliminate the virus from your system. A hysterectomy removes the cervix, which means that the risk of developing cervical cancer because of persistent HPV infection will essentially be eliminated.
There are two options: Imiquimod (Aldara, Zyclara) Podofilox (Condylox)
If you got a positive HPV test and your Pap test was abnormal, your doctor will probably follow up with a colposcopy. Try to see a physician who specializes in this procedure. During a colposcopy, your doctor will look more closely at the cervix, vagina or vulva with a special microscope called a colposcope.
Most of the time, cervical cell changes (abnormal cells) don't come back after treatment. However, sometimes they do and may need further treatment. These cell changes are also called persistent or recurrent cell changes.
HPV gene products can either enhance or suppress estrogen's stimulation of ERα transcriptional activity. Estrogen can in turn activate expression of HPV oncogenes potentially through ERα or perhaps other means.
Most men who get HPV never have symptoms. The infection usually goes away by itself. But, if HPV does not go away, it can cause genital warts or certain kinds of cancer.
The majority of oncogenic oral HPV infections cleared quickly, with a median time to clearance of 1.4 years (interquartile range = 0.5-3.9 years). After 7 years of follow-up, 97% of incident and 71% of prevalent infections had cleared.
Once you have the virus, you will always have it although keeping your immune system as strong as possible with a healthy diet etc can make it dormant, where it would not show on an HPV test. There is no cure for HPV, but plenty treatment available if it causes cell changes.
The longer answer: Most people's immune systems clear HPV out of their bodies within one to three years. But if the virus lingers for a long time, it can become a part of your DNA, and then potentially cause cancer several decades later.
High-risk HPV doesn't have symptoms
Unfortunately, most people who have a high-risk type of. That's why regular checkups are so important — testing is the only way to know for sure if you're at risk for cancer from HPV.