werner@aecom.UUCP (Craig Werner) (11/04/85)
I've seen a major error in at least two major publications recently.
Perhaps, you have too, and I'd like to clear it up.
Several years ago, somebody postulated that since Cervical Cancer
is related in incidence to promiscuity (a fact that has been known since the
last century - when it was noted that nuns rarely got it.), that perhaps it
was related to the Herpes virus.
This was the height of the Herpes scare and it got a lot of airplay.
However, it turned out to be a good idea, but just wasn't true. Yet as
recently as two weeks ago, "Ask Beth" and one other (I forget) source
repeated it as a possibility.
The actual culprit is the Human Papilloma Virus, Types 16 and 18. This
isn't responsible for all cervical cancer, but enough to make it appear to be
a venereal disease. Since it is spread the same way as Herpes, the chances
are better (or worse - anyway, they're higher) of having gotten it, if you
managed to get Herpes. Anyway, this confused the original articles.
So, just because you have/had Herpes doesn't neccesarily raise your
risk of eventually developing Cervical cancer.
Still, Cervical cancer is the most preventable and curable cancer
known - if only you get regular Pap smears.
--
Craig Werner
!philabs!aecom!werner
"Time flies when you're streaking out N. gonorrheae."