Three years ago, Bridgette *, the wife and mother of two young children, was shocked when a routine Pap test identified abnormal cells. Bridgette was devastated when additional tests confirmed she had HPV-related cancer.
HPV (human papillomavirus) is a sexually transmitted virus that infects 85% of sexually active people during their lifetime. For most people, the infection goes away on its own, but this is not always the case, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
For some, the virus can remain in the body and could cause certain cancers and HPV-related diseases later in life, says the CDC. There is no way to predict who will or will not eliminate the virus.
As a regular nurse caring for others, being a patient was a challenge for Bridgette. “It took me a while to understand everything,” she says.
Coming up with an action plan
Bridgette’s journey began with an abnormal Pap test during a routine visit to the gynecologist. He continued with a biopsy that showed he had a stage of cervical cancer. Bridgette, now 30, was diagnosed at a much younger age than the average onset of HPV-related cervical cancer, which is around 49, according to the CDC. For some people who do not eliminate the virus, a diagnosis of cervical cancer can occur years or decades after they become infected, and people can be diagnosed with cervical cancer anywhere between 20 and 80 years of age. For Bridgette, a diagnosis of HPV-related cancer raised many questions and it was difficult to understand her new reality. “I knew HPV could cause cancer,” she says, “but I thought it couldn’t happen to me.”
Within weeks, he met with a gynecologic oncologist to develop a treatment plan that includes radiation and chemotherapy. When detected at an early stage, the five-year survival rate for women with invasive cervical cancer is about 90%. “After seeing the gynecologist, she gave us hope because we were able to have a plan and we knew what to do,” says Bridgette.
Bridgette’s treatment was successful and free of cancer and she was grateful for the support of her family and care team on her path to recovery.
Lessons from her cancer journey
Bridgette recognizes how important it is to have a strong support system as you go through cancer treatment. “If I could go back in time and say something when I was first diagnosed, I would say ask for help and then allow myself to be sick,” she says. “I thought I could conquer the world, but it was very important to allow myself to rest when I needed to rest and know that people would help me.”
When Bridgette was diagnosed with HPV-related cervical cancer, she was in complete shock; he never thought it could happen to him. Learn more about her experience with HPV-related cervical cancer in this video, courtesy of My story about HPV cancer.
Whatever it is, Bridgette remains committed to sharing her story and educating others. Not everyone realizes that HPV can cause cervical cancer, she says, adding, “not only do women have a potential risk of HPV-related cancer, but men are at risk.”
Bridgette also learned to live the moment. “Being diagnosed with cervical cancer allowed me to take a moment and know that life is precious and that we should not rethink things,” she says. “We should just not be in such a hurry. I learned to enjoy my children and my husband, because that really matters. ”
What you may not know about HPV-related cancers and diseases
Because HPV often has no visible signs or symptoms, someone with the virus could transmit it without knowing it. For most people, HPV eliminates itself. But for some women, HPV can eventually cause some cancers and diseases, such as cervical cancer, as it did for Bridgette. Individuals should discuss with their healthcare provider the potential risk of HPV-related cancer.
“Most patients I see have an idea and an understanding of HPV, but there’s still a lot of misinformation about it,” says Pari Ghodsi, MD, a board-certified OB-GYN based in Los Angeles. “The more people talk about HPV with each other and also with their doctors, the more we can open the conversation and hope to give everyone the right knowledge.”
Here are four CDC statistics for HPV cancer:
The estimated number of people in the US who are diagnosed each year with HPV-related cancers, according to data from 2013-2017.
An HPV-related cancer can take years, even decades, to develop after a person gets an HPV infection. For most, HPV goes away on its own.
The estimated number of new cases of cervical cancer related to HPV in the US annually (1998-2017).
HPV is thought to be the cause of over 90% of cervical cancers.
What can you do?: According to Dr. Ghodsi, the first step is simply that HPV-related cancer can affect you. Start a conversation with your doctor about what you can do to stay healthy, such as getting routine Pap smears for cervical cancer. You can also take steps to learn more about the connection between HPV and certain types of cancer and disease by visiting My Story of HPV Cancer.
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