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Humanes Papillomavirus (HPV)

The facts:

More than 70 different types of viruses are referred to as Papillomaviruses. All of them cause the growth of warts. It is irrelevant whether the warts develop on your hands or in the genital region, they are all caused by Papillomaviruses.

Warts are growths, i. e. skin cells have undergone massive proliferation under the influence of these Papillomaviruses. In the majority of cases, the growths are harmless. However, unfortunately some types of Papillomaviruses can cause malignant tumours (such as cancer of the neck of the uterus or penis). We are now able to distinguish between the dangerous and harmless types of viruses. Women and men can be screened to determine whether they carry the dangerous type and need to undergo more comprehensive examinations or whether they are free of dangerous Papillomaviruses.

What does our test include?

A swab from the vagina or the tip of the penis is required to identify the presence of Papillomaviruses. The specimen is collected by means of a cotton swab, a painfree and easy procedure. Lightly dragging a cotton swab across the vaginal mucosa or the tip of the penis will leave some viruses adhered to it. This quantity is sufficient for reliable identification of the viruses at the laboratory by means of our highly-sensitive techniques.

Who should take this test?

If men observe wart-like growths at the tip of their penis (glans) or if women notice wart-like growths in their genital area, this test can be used to determine whether the growths are caused by a dangerous type of Papillomavirus.

Women without symptoms may also wish to take the test, because the common cancer of the neck of the uterus (cervix carcinoma) virtually only develops as a result of pre-exiting HPV infection. The examination is an addition to the cancer screening performed by your general practitioner or gynaecologist.

How to use this test? ( to instructions)

A test swab is used to identify Papillomaviruses. Lead it across the tip of your penis, the mucosa of your vagina or other areas of skin affected by warts. Mucosal cells adhere to the swab. This procedure is painfree and does not cause any injuries. Return the test swab to us in the enclosed original container. The consultation with a physician is not required to collect the specimen.

Please follow the instructions on the illustrations (pictograms), explaining the proper collection of specimen.

How and when will you receive the results?

The results will be available on our homepage no later than five days upon receipt of the test swab at our laboratory.

If a type of Papillomavirus considered dangerous is determined, you should consult your general practitioner, gynaecologist or urologist. Infections with a dangerous type of Human Papillomavirus require expert review of the situation.

What happens, if the results reveal a HPV infection?

Most Papillomavirus infections are harmless and generally not noticed by the patient. However, if an infection caused by a Papillomavirus that is considered dangerous is determined, expert evaluation by a gynaecologist or urologist is required.

In up to 30 % of cases, warts in the genital area heal without treatment.

If the warts grow in size, bother you or if they are not healing within a few weeks, it is recommended that you consult a physician, gynaecologist or urologist.

What happens if the results reveal that you are not infected with HPV?

If the wart-like growths do not disappear within a short period of time, it is recommended that you present this report to your general practitioner.

If this test was conducted as cancer screening and the findings were negative, you are not required to undergo another cancer screening within 5 years, because you are not infected. Development of cancer takes more than 10 years.

Additional information:

Supporting factors

It has been shown that approximately one third of all genital warts disappear over time. Whether and how long a Papillomavirus infection causes the growth of warts can be influenced by your lifestyle. The key factor is the number of different sexual partners. The larger the number of sexual partners, the larger the number of infections with the formation of warts. In addition, smoking cigarettes and joints and the consumption of cocaine support the incidence of Papillomaviruses. Finally, Papillomavirus infections are often associated with other types of sexual infections (Herpes genitalis, Syphilis and AIDS).

Occurrence

Because most people carrying the Human Papillomavirus are not displaying any symptoms, we mostly rely on estimates regarding the prevalence among the population. The German Society for Sexually Transmitted Diseases estimates that one in one hundred sexually active persons (between the ages of 15 and 45 years) suffers from warts as a result of a Papillomavirus infection. In an additional four of one hundred persons, Papillomaviruses that have not caused any warts visible with the naked eye can be identified. Another 10 of one hundred persons carry Papillomaviruses which are currently “dormant“ and not yet active.

Based on examinations, 60 % of the population has antibodies against Papillomaviruses (which is evidence of a previous Papillomavirus infection that has healed or is still active).

Secondary illnesses

Most warts are harmless and 30 % heal without therapy. Sometimes, Papillomaviruses can cause itchiness, burning and minor bleeding.

However, psychological symptoms are more prevalent. Patients feel bad and are afraid to discuss the symptoms with a physician. Anxiety, a sense of guilt and sexual dysfunction may be the result.

Unfortunately, Papillomaviruses can also cause malignant tumours. The most common ones include cancer of the neck of the uterus and vagina in women and cancer of the penis in men.

Adequate screening examinations directly affect the outcome of these symptoms. If malignant warts are detected and treated early, the patient can be healed.

Treatment

Different methods are used depending on the type and severity of the infection. Warts and malignant tumours are removed surgically. In certain cases, simple, harmless warts can be removed by means of freezing, electricity or ointments. The success rates of the various treatment options vary greatly. Pleas consult a specialist for more details.

How are the tests conducted at our laboratory?

At the laboratory, Human Papillomaviruses are identified by means of the highly sensitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Literature references

Randomized clinical evaluation of self-screening for anal cancer precursors in men who have sex with men
Thomas M Lampinen, 1,2 Mary Lou Miller, 1 Keith Chan, 1 Aranka Anema, 1 Dirk van Niekerk, 3 Arn J Schilder, 1 Robert Taylor, 4 and Robert S Hogg 1,2
Cytojournal. 2006; 3: 4.

Comparison of Physician- and Self-Collected Genital Specimens for Detection of Human Papillomavirus in Men
Brenda Y. Hernandez, 1* K. McDuffie, 1 M. T. Goodman, 1 L. R. Wilkens, 1 P. Thompson, 1 X. Zhu, 1 W. Wong, 2 and L. Ning 2
J Clin Microbiol. 2006 February; 44(2): 513–517.

Good correlation of HPV DNA test between self-collected vaginal and clinician-collected cervical specimens by the oligonucleotide microarray.
Seo SS, Song YS, Kim JW, Park NH, Kang SB, Lee HP.
Gynecol Oncol. 2006 Jul;102(1):67-73. Epub 2006 Jan 10.

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