Dysplasia Question . . . . - Cancer: Breast Message Board

KimRick · 10-06-2003, 12:01 PM

I just received my medical file in Friday's mail and what I could understand, I read CIN I. What does that mean? Is having dysplasia the same thing as having pre-cancerous cells? Knowledgeable (sp?) answers are requested. THX!!!

SmallChange · 10-06-2003, 12:19 PM

CIN 1 is considered mild dysplasia and yes, might be considered pre-cancerous. However, the overwhelming majority of CIN 1 cases clear up on their own. If your immune system is strong, it may very well go away by itself.

Your doctor will likely just keep an eye on the condition through regular pap smears. Meanwhile, I read that there is a slight correlation between vitamin C intake and the regression of dysplasia. With cold and flu season coming up, it couldn't hurt to take a regular C supplement, anyway.

Also be aware that CIN is generally caused by certain strains of HPV, the virus that causes warts. Some of these strains are transmitted sexually and the only symptom is an abnormal pap test. It's best to assume that any sexual partner is carrying HPV (many men have it, never have a symptom, so don't even know they're carrying it). Condoms do not protect against it completely, either. Just be aware of these facts. There is a lot of information on the net about HPV.

But most importantly, don't panic or be frightened. CIN 1 is NOT cancer. If it develops any futher, there are several outpatient treatments that can take care of it long before it even gets close to becoming cancer. Just stay alert, get regular check-ups, and take good care of yourself.

Hope that helps!

KimRick · 10-06-2003, 12:27 PM

Ok, do all strains of HPV cause warts? I've heard that there's different strains and not all of them cause warts. Some strains cause cancer and some do cause warts.

PaNik5717 · 10-06-2003, 03:50 PM

Hey Kim,

What you heard is correct. The strains of HPV that cause dysplasia do not usually cause warts. There are more than 120 strains of HPV and only a handful contribute to cervical dysplasia. Others cause warts in different places.

If you do have HPV, your body may have taken care of it by now since it does in the majority of cases and the test was in February, right? If your thin prep comes back abnormal again, all of us are here and we have been there. In fact, I'm back there again now. I think I am having a colpo on Wednesday.

Nik

Haley1234 · 10-09-2003, 11:16 AM

I've read that strain 16 causes both warts and cancer.