Scared321
04-16-2009, 02:24 PM
Me and my boyfriend have been having unprotected sex for about 3 years now... He has been getting these sores on his penis for about 2 1/2 years (I have never had any sores or any signs). At 1st we thought it was the rubbing then they would pop up atleast once a month. They didn't show for about 6 months. In 08 I found out that I have hpv and I had a colposcopy done. My doctor told me to schedule an appointment 4 months later to see if it went away on its own or if the lesions on my cervics progressed. But it has been going on a year now. But I guess what I wanted to know was if my boyfriend has the hpv strand that causes warts don't I have to have the same strand? Also if my pap came back abnormal again could I have the cancerous strand? Please someone help me to understand, I'm scared. Cancer runs on both sides so my chances are higher.
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Drafly
04-16-2009, 11:02 PM
HPV lesions wouldn't typically be described as "sores". The low risk HPV which causes warts are just that warts and they appear as such. The high risk lesions can vary from flat to raised, pinkish to flesh colored, single or multiple. Mentioning sores makes me think of herpes not HPV. Are you stating that it's been a year and you haven't had this rechecked? Not good! As some on this board will attest conversion to malignancy can, in some cases, be very rapid. A negative Pap doesn't mean you don't have HPV elsewhere since it can involve anywhere from the cervix, vagina, labia, vulva, peroneum and anus. Chances are whatever strains you have you both have them. You can have both low and high risk HPV simultaneously. Men usually don't show symptoms and when they do it's usually the low risk warts. That doesn't meanthey don't also have high risk HPV. There is currently no test for men (well actually that's not totally true, there is a male Pap where they do an anal swab and test for HPV) This isn't typically done unless you're gay or know you have been exposed to the virus. If you pap cam back abnormal againthat would depend upon exactly what the pap showed, meaning the type of cell changes and just how far the dysplasia has progressed. HPV is a sexually transmitted virus so family history isn't really a factor except with respect to your own immune system. Some people have certain genetic factors which can resist HPV such as certain Jewish women (excluding those from Northern Africa region). This is because they have been shown to have a beneficial alteration to p53 (protein 53) which is one of the bodies tumor suppressors. The E6 oncogene (cancer causing gene ofHPV) attacks p53 and renders in inactive. The E7 HPV oncogene degrades pRb (the other natural tumor suppressor in our cells). As a result of these two HPV oncogenes the bodies natural tumor suppressors no longer functoin and so the cells just continue to proliferate uncontrollably. The more cells divide the greater the chances of mutation (to cancer) and this is how it basically works. The abnormal cells then become immortalized (meaning they just go on forever) eventually leading to cancer if untreated.