Pre-cancerous cells in a smear test

[QueenEagle]

If you have been told that you has pre-cancerous cells, is it usual for them to disappear the next time you have a smear? How likely is it they will reappear?

Also, if you carry HPV, is this something you can pass on to a sexual partner and is it true it means you are more likely to develop cervical cancer ata later date?

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How would it manifest itself in your partner?

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There are MANY different strains of HPV. Well over 50 have been identitied.

And NO, not all produce genital warts.

Some cause abnormal cells on the cervix, which may or may not progress to cancer. These types of strains can easily be passed to a partner - a male will show no symptoms at all. The strains which cause cervical cancer are different from those which cause genital warts, even though they are the result of the same virus.

If you carry a strain that has resulted in cervical cell abnormalities - and it's possible to have multiple strains of HPV - the male will be asymptomatic, have no symptoms.

It's possible you'll have a clear smear after an abnormal one. Cervical cancer tends to grow quite slowly. But if the results are anything along the lines of CINII/moderate dysplasia, or worse, it's recommended you have a colposcopy to biopsy the area, as pre cancerous cell abnormalities can be treated quite effectively.

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expat - you must have swallowed a medical dictionary! How come you know so much about stuff?

I had what the nurse called pre-cancerous cells and the HPV virus (how do you get that - is it dirty?) but 2 subsequent smears have now been clear and I have never needed any treatment. I would be mortified if I had passed anything to dh.

I'm just wondering really, given my very dodgy family history of cancer, it just got me thinking about things.

The likelihood of recurrence after treatment depends on a lot of things. For example, there's a demonstrated link between smoking and the development of cervical cancer. If you have precancous cell treatment, it's recommended you stop smoking if you smoke.

Sometimes, a woman can be treated and experience NO recurrence of cell abnormalities, ever.

It's hard to know why.

I had CINII/moderate dysplasia and a loop excision procedure back in 2002. As I was being treated in a public healthcare facility in the US, I was asked if I cared to participate in a study to develop a vaccine by donating the colposcopy sample to science - in exchange for free treatment. So I got to learn a bit about HPV the non-fun way.

You can contract HPV w/o even having sex. The majority of all sexually active adults in the world have at least one strain of HPV, it's just that many times, they don't know it and never do.

Thanks to you both for your replies.

Given my clean living kinda lifestyle - don't drink, smoke or sleep around - I guess I am not at high risk of developing cc, unless my genes predispose me to it, but that's something I have no control over so I don't lie awake worrying.

Strange though how some do go on to develop it and others don't?

I was told i had hpv many moons ago, and if i remember correctly, i was told that something like over half the population carry it? And it is with you forever once you have it.

Can anyone confirm that?

I have often wondered about passing it to partner, but never remembered to ask at appts. Should protection be used in order to get rid of it then?

I had abnormal results and colposcopy's still with abnormal results from smears. Then i fell pg, and my next smear was all clear!?
But i still assumed i carry hpv and that it just doesn't always show on the test.

Expat you seem to be an expert, what do you make of my jumbled knowledge? Am i thinking correctly?

oops your last post explained some of that already! Thanks!

That's why it's so important to have regular smear tests. There is NO telling who may or may not develop abnormalities that progress to cancer, clean living or not. Some people smoke their entire lives and have HPV and never get an abnormal smear.

Others develop cervical cancer at a young age.

Smear tests are the most effective way of detecting cervical cell abnormalities.

Cervical cancer is still the 5th leading cause of cancer deaths among women, a real travesty.

QE - I have +ve HPV tests - I'm on the Artistic study that is researching this.

You can have had the virus for donkeys years - I think the figures are something like 80% have it but most don't know it. Often it goes of its own accord.

My smears are always -ve but +ve for HPV, I have had one colposcopy and if my recent smear comes back +ve on HPV again I can have another if I want - and I will.

So having hpv isn't a reason to worry unnecessarily.

And i guess no point in starting using protection now after ten years with dp

So if a smear is negative for cancerous cells but positive on HPV, how does having a colposcopy help? Sorry if that sounds really ignorant (I am on this) but I thought a colposcopy was to remove part of the cervix if it had cancer on it or have I got that wrong?

Giving birth vaginally will often slough off the cervix in such a way that abnormal cells are destroyed.

HPV stays in your system. Different strains cause all different kinds of things - cold sores around the lips, canker sores in the mouth, warts on the hands, verrucas.

A vaccine for HPV that causes cervical cancer is currently being studied with much success in the US.

A colposcopy is a camera that looks at your cervix (its fascinating ) and if they see anything dodgy they take a sample for testing - my cervix looked healthy so they didn't have to do that.

QE - do they routinely test you for HPV as well now? - I think they should. How often do you get your smear test?

Mine is annual on this study - which I'm glad about.

PRE-cancerous cells are NOT cancerous. They have the potential to become cancerous, and they are classed on this potential - from mild to severe.

A colpo does not remove part of your cervix, it is a biopsy - a tiny sample of cells are removed and sent to a lab for further analysis.

It's possible sometimes for a smear test results to indicate something that a colpo later proves to be not present.

A colpo can also indicate to the healthcare practitioner where the abnormal cells are. Hence, she stains the cervix w/a vinegar solution and then uses a colposcope to view the cervix and take a sample.

Treatment is decided based on where the abnormalities lie on the cervix, the area they cover and their perceived depth.

uggh i did not describe it as fascinating .

I am worried now, as i have had a couple of warts show up on my hands in the last few months. Does that mean that the smear due next month could also be abnormal?

(i am really sorry i'm getting very confused!)

Exactly, JT! The 'colposcope' is actually a camera.

Ah thanks Jools!! That is much clearer.

So.......would me having the HPV virus explain why I have recently had a crop of verrucas and also two or three warts appear on my fingers? And why I can't seem to get rid of them despite having them frozen every month for the past year?

No, Hattie, b/c the strain that causes warts is entirely different from the ones that cause cervical cell abnormalities.

There are hundreds of different strains of HPV that can affect the body. Some cause verrucas, others warts on hands, others sores in the mouth, others cervical cell abnormalities, etc.

B/c the virus stays w/you once you have it, you can get warts on your hands, have them frozen off, and they reappear.