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News came Monday that he had died at the age of 28. Selmeci Sarolta, handball player from TG Nürtingen. The young athletes club announced in January that the manager had diagnosed him with cervical cancer. Since then, Sarolta Selmeci has undergone surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, but has metastasized to her body.
The shocking case once again drew attention to the human papillomavirus (HPV), responsible for cervical cancer. Although awareness and caution are gradually increasing, according to the experts surveyed by the Index, there are still many misconceptions about HPV in Hungary.
In Hungary, between 2009 and 2015, an average of 1,000 new cervical cancers were diagnosed each year. If the disease is recognized early, it can be cured, however, during that period, it is treated for approx. 416 women died from cervical cancer, according to the ANSZ abstract.
To ameliorate the alarming trends, a state-subsidized school vaccination program was launched in 2014, under which girls over the age of 12 could receive the HPV vaccine for free.
Seven-year-old girls are vaccinated with parental consent with a vaccine called Gardasil 9, which is currently considered the most effective and protects against a total of nine types of HPV.
Gergely Gulyás recently announced in one of the Government Info that
Free HPV vaccination is also planned for children.
But according to the news now in August, the bidding and procurement of the vaccine is still ongoing. Thus, it is easy to imagine that, contrary to the original idea, children will only be vaccinated in the next school year. (As soon as we receive information from the authorities about the current status of the project, we will inform about the developments).
And all of this is important because HPV is a sexually transmitted disease that men cannot simply be carriers. In addition to infecting its female partners, which can lead to cervical cancer, HPV can also lead to cancer of the penis and rectum, as well as head and neck tumors.
That is why it would be extremely important for parents to take the opportunity to vaccinate their children at school on time and hopefully adolescents on time, to achieve the ultimate goal of herd immunity.
He declares Béla Tamási, head of the National STD Center.
In contrast, dermatologists and gynecologists often find that parents fear that their children will be vaccinated against HPV. In addition to risking his health, Béla Tamási considers all this irresponsible because if someone wants to be vaccinated later – which is also recommended up to 55 years – they have to put their hand in their pocket. While international experience with the introduction of the HPV vaccine has dramatically reduced the number of cases of cervical cancer and other cancers caused by HPV.
HPV is a life worth taking seriously
Again, fear seems to be fueled primarily by ignorance. Even though public awareness continues to improve, there is still a lot of misinformation and many misconceptions about HPV. “One of the most common is that HPV cannot be cured, while in more than 90% of cases, a healthy body defeats the infection.
HPV is a family of 200 viruses, of which 170 types are called low-risk HPV. They do not cause cancer, in most warts, or even because the immune system will defeat them by then. The remaining 30 high-risk types may already be long-term tumors. But they don’t have warts. “
– explains Béla Tamási.
As the specialist says, women tend to believe that cervical cancer screening, which is ideally done annually, automatically means HPV screening as well. But this must be requested separately in the private gynecological order with another cost. Such an HPV test is a more accurate grade and indicates a little earlier if there is a problem than a traditional cervical cancer test.
János Zatik, obstetrician-gynecologist, complements all this with the fact that in addition to vaccination, one of the main means of prevention is care, less frequent partner exchange, protection and trusting relationships. If all of this has not happened and the couple may be less informed, it is a good idea to get tested for cancer or HPV in a week or two.
If high-risk HPV is found, take it seriously throughout the patient’s life, get tested, screened more often, and never get lost. And if you are at low risk of infection, ask your gynecologist for a cancer screening test every two to two years.
– suggests János Zatik.
The specialist also advises that the development of a 100% HPV-induced cervical cancer should basically be considered a long and multi-point process. There is already a small change in cancer detection.
A reassuring negative cancer screening test result is a one or two year guarantee. Otherwise, HPV can be detected by the type and aggressive strains present in the body. From here, you need to be a little more aware.
Says the specialist.
The scenario from now on is the semiannual check-in and the patient wait and see, at least in János Zatik’s office, where in case of deterioration the problem is surgically remedied after further examinations. “If the situation deteriorates in cytology and HPV is already at high risk, we will analyze gene expression, that is, if HPV has entered this cell. If so, there is a so-called LEEP technique is when with a small loop of fine wire clip, we can pull out millimeters without destroying the cervix, hardly seeing anything significant or harmful left behind. With constant monitoring, a maximum of two of these procedures is usually sufficient ”, we learned from the obstetrician-gynecologist.
If the worst version prevails, the specialists will perform a larger operation, then the call comes. classic conization, a cone-shaped excision of the cervix. However, János Zatik adds:
six to eight years before cervical cancer gets to the point where it’s really hard to start medically.
With vaccination and proper care, virtually no one should die from cervical cancer, concludes the expert.
The vaccine prevents not only the spread of HPV infection, but also tumors in men.
(Cover image: Papillomavirus, HPV. Photo: Bsip / Getty Images Hungary)
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