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CancerQuest > Introduction to Cancer Biology > Viruses and Cancer > HPV: Reducing the Risk

HPV: Reducing the Risk

There are several ways to reduce the risk of infection with HPV.

Abstinence Not having sexual contact is the only 100% effective method of HPV prevention.  This includes any close physical contact, including oral sex.

Condom Usage Condoms do not provide complete protection against HPV, but they can reduce the chance of getting infected. Remember: condoms are always a good idea. They reduce the risk of unwanted pregnancy and other sexually transmitted infections such as HIV, gonorrhea, Chlamydia, herpes, hepatitis, and syphilis, among others.

Low Number of Sexual Partners The chance of getting HPV increases with increasing number of sexual partners. Studies have shown that women with multiple (>1) sexual partners have an increased risk for HPV and for CIN.⁽¹⁾

Don't Smoke Smoking is not a risk factor for acquiring the infection, but it has been shown to increase infection length. One study found women who smoke maintained HPV infection significantly longer (over 2 months longer) than women who didn't smoke.⁽²⁾ This is important because longer HPV infection increases risk for cervical cancer development. Also, chemicals found in tobacco smoke have been detected in the cervical mucous of women who smoke.⁽³⁾

Get the Vaccine Vaccines help the body protect against foreign objects such as viruses, bacteria, or parasites. There are currently 2 FDA approved vaccines available that protect against infection with the human papillomaviruses known to cause cancer: Gardasil® and Cervarix™.

Gardasil® is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in young women aged 9-26 to protect against infection by four types of HPV: 6, 11, 16, and 18. HPV types 16 and 18 are considered high-risk because they are implicated in over 70% of all cervical cancers diagnosed. Types 6 and 11 are considered low-risk types that are not known to cause cervical cancer, but they do cause genital warts. In October 2009, Gardasil® was also approved by the FDA for use in young men aged 9-26 for the prevention of genital warts due to HPV types 6 and 11.⁽⁴⁾ Studies have shown Gardasil® to be almost 100% effective in preventing diseases caused by the 4 types of HPV it covers. Importantly, Gardasil® is not known to prevent the development of disease in women already infected with HPV.

Cervarix™ is an HPV vaccine that protects against infection by high risk HPV types 16 and 18. The vaccine is approved by the FDA for girls aged 10 to 25.⁽⁵⁾

Learn more about HPV vaccines

Learn more about cervical cancer

References for this page:

1. Deacon JM, Evans CD, Yule R, Desai M, Binns W, Taylor C, Peto J. Sexual behaviour and smoking as determinants of cervical HPV infection and of CIN3 among those infected: a case-control study nested within the Manchester cohort. British Journal of Cancer. 2000; 83(11):1565-72. [PUBMED]
2. Giuliano AR, Sedjo RL, Roe DJ, Harri R, Baldwi S, Papenfuss MR, Abrahamsen M, Inserra P. Clearance of oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) infection: effect of smoking (United States). Cancer Causes Control. 2002;13(9):839-46. [PUBMED]
3. McCann MF, Irwin DE, Walton LA, Hulka BS, Morton JL, Axelrad CM. Nicotine and cotinine in the cervical mucus of smokers, passive smokers, and nonsmokers. Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention. 1992;1(2):125-9 [PUBMED]
4. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. News Release: FDA Approves New Indication for Gardasil to Prevent Genital Warts in Men and Boys. October 16, 2009. [http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm187003.htm]
5. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. October 16, 2009 Approval Letter - Cervarix. Accessed October 2009. [http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/ucm186959.htm]