Women who have the sexually transmitted human papilloma virus (HPV) may be more likely to develop breast cancer, according to new research.
The virus, which is extremely common (up to 75 per cent of sexually active women contract it at some stage in their life) is widely associated with an increased risk of cervical cancer, but now a review of 4,000 pathology reports from women who had benign biopsies but later developed breast cancer suggests a link with certain strains of HPV.
There are approximately 100 strains of HPV, some of which are more dangerous than others. Low-risk strains of the virus such as HPV 6 and 11 can cause genital warts, but it is the high-risk strains such as HPV 16 and 18 that are believed to cause the majority of cervical cancers.
A vaccine is available and has been offered to all girls in first year in second level schools since 2014, but while its makers say Gardasil protects against the types of HPV that cause seven out of 10 of all cervical cancers, many parents believe their teenage girls developed serious health problems after they were given the vaccine.
The only way to know whether you have HPV or not is to book a smear test or an STD test but it appears many Irish women are a little reluctant to take charge of their health in that regard. A new piece of research by The Marie Keating Foundation has found that an estimated 110,000 women in Ireland have never had a smear test. The report also highlighted that around one in four women did not go for their regular smear test last year.
Smear tests are free, quick and painless. For more information about smear tests and how to book yours, click here.
