Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
FACT SHEET
Risk Factors for Cervical Cancer: Evidence to Date
Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection
has been established as the necessary,
but not solely sufficient, cause of
cervical cancer.1 The vast majority of
women infected with an oncogenic
HPV type never develop cervical
cancer, which suggests that additional
factors acting in conjunction with
HPV influence the risk of disease
development. Cofactors such as parity,
use of oral contraceptives, tobacco
smoking, immunosuppression
particularly related to human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV), infection
with other sexually transmitted
diseases, and poor nutrition all have
been associated, to various extents,
with the development of invasive
cervical cancer. Their specific role in
the development of cervical cancer
remains unclear, however. Age of
sexual debut, lifetime number of sexual
partners, history of sexually transmitted
infections, and other characteristics
of sexual activity are linked to the
likelihood of becoming infected with
HPV and are not considered to be
cofactors for the progression from HPV
infection to cervical cancer.
Other Cofactors
Smoking appears to be strongly
associated with the development
of precancerous cervical lesions
and cancer.10,11 Smoking is among
the most consistently identified
environmental cofactors likely to
influence the risk of cervical cancer;
studies show at least a twofold risk
for current smokers compared to
non-smokers.10,11,12
Women infected with HIV are
more readily infected with highrisk HPV types and are more likely
to develop precancerous lesions
(and develop them more rapidly)
than HIV-negative women in the
same age category.13,14,15 To date,
the magnitude of elevated risk for
cervical cancer among these women
is unclear, however.
References
1. Walboomers JM, et al. Human papillomavirus
is a necessary cause of invasive cervical cancer
worldwide. Journal of Pathology 189:1219 (1999).
2. Muoz N, Bosch FX, de Sanjose S, et al.
Epidemiologic classification of human
papillomavirus types associated with cervical
cancer. New England Journal of Medicine 348(6):
518527 (February 6, 2003).
Support for development of this document was provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through the
Alliance for Cervical Cancer Prevention (ACCP). For more information, please visit the ACCP website: www.alliance-cxca.org
The Alliance can be contacted by writing to the ACCP in care of PATH or by email: accp@path.org
May 2004