[Question #4843] HPV length of infection.
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79 months ago
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Hello. Both my husband and I became sexually active from our early teens with multiple partners. 1982 we became monogamous. 1992 I had a cone biopsy of the cervix & Uterine curette. The results were: "extensive grade 1 cervical intra epithelial neoplasia with Kiolocytic atipia consistent with wart virus infection. in one section there is permeation of a rather higher grade of neoplasia. Whether this constitutes grade 3 or insitu carcinoma is debateable". 1996 I had a hysterectomy for a number of reasons including the above. 9/2016 my husband was diagnosed with Squamous cell carcinoma at the back of his tongue. He was not a smoker but enjoyed a bottle of red wine each evening. 3/2017 he passed away as a result of this carcinoma. From what I have read on the internet so far, cervical cancer and tongue cancer are associated with couples. I am considering remarrying and am concerned that I am still infectious, with HPV and will pass this on to my new husband. For religious reasons he is not sexually active and I fear he would be at risk of penile or oral cancer.
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
79 months ago
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Welcome to our Forum. I'll do my best to help. Regarding your background situation, in that both you and your husband had been sexually active with other partners prior to becoming monogamous, there is simply no realistic way to determine the origin of the HPV which was associated with your cervical abnormalities. Further, in that about 30% of oropharyngeal cancer is not HPV-related, you may not know that your husband's cancer was HPV-related, much less where the infection may have come from. The internet sources you have found may overstate the co-existence of HPV infection and their complications; all too often it is just not possible to say who acquired an infection from whom.
Irrespective, the likelihood that your prior infections may post a risk for your prospective husband are quite low. Your hysterectomy most probably also led to removal of your cervix which would be the most likely site of any residual HPV which might be passed on to a new partner. While HPV can also infect vaginal tissue, such infections, as well as malignant and pre-malignant lesions due to HPV are far less common in the vagina than the cervix. If you have any lingering concerns regarding persistent HPV infection in you, or risk for transmission, I would suggest a visit to your gynecologist, asking her/him to evaluate you for evidence of vaginal lesions and to perhaps do an HPV test.
I hope this information is helpful If my comments are unclear, please feel free to use your up to two follow-up questions to seek clarification. EWH
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79 months ago
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Your advise was really helpful. I forgot to mention, I have had a wart appear on my finger recently which made me wonder if I still have HPV. I will seek advise from a Gynecologist. Thank you.
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
79 months ago
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I'm pleased my suggestions were helpful. the wart on your finger is almost certainly a different HPV type than the type that tends to infect the genitals and there is very, very little likelihood of transmitting that to a sexual partner by touching their genitals with the wart. EWH---