Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/251527
FEBRUARY 2014 | BRAVAMAGAZINE.COM 47 known strains of HPV, more than 45 of THEM CˬN INFECT THE GENITˬL TRˬCT ŀE most common cancer-causing types of THEVIRUSˬRE)17ˬND)17ŀESE two types alone cause about 70 percent of all cervical and vulvar cancers. ŀE $ENTER FOR %ISEˬSE $ONTROL ˬND Prevention (CDC) indicates that most people who contract HPV don't develop symptoms or health problems, and that 90 percent of HPV infections clear natu- rally within two years and go undetected. ŀEHIGHRISKCˬNCERCˬUSINGSTRˬINS HPV 16 and 18, however, are resistant to natural resolution depending on indi- vidual immune systems and can result in critical abnormal changes to cells on the epithelial surface of the cervix. Without testing, these strains can develop into slow-growing, cancerous cells over the course of many years because they've remained undetected. Until age 38, Suzanne S. was unaware she had HPV. Today, at 40, she is recovering from cervical cancer. Cervical cancer's common symptoms are so subtle they typically go undetected for years. "I had unknowingly been ex- periencing the signs of cervical cancer for over two years, including spotting blood after sex. I didn't think much of it. I mean sometimes women spot after sex, right? It's not that unusual," says Suzanne. She admits she did not have a pelvic exam or Pap test for six years, from 2003 to 2009. But her 2010 Pap was normal even though she was having symptoms. Suzanne had also developed an unusual vaginal discharge that was clear, watery, odorless, painless, and did not itch or burn. "It was literally like a tiny drop of water, but started happening more and more," she says. Both the bleeding and discharge are symptoms of cervical cancer—but she didn't realize she should be concerned. "It's hard to know what exactly is normal in that area. It is not like girlfriends sit around drinking Cosmos dishing about their daily discharge," Suzanne says. She knew, however, that something was wrong and went back for a Pap test in 2011. It came back abnormal, and the HPV DNA test that she was given at the SˬMETIMECONǠRMEDSHEˬLSOHˬDˬHIGH risk HPV infection. Over the course of the next eight months, Suzanne endured repeated Pap TESTSCOLPOSCOPIES ˬMˬGNIǠEDEXˬMOF * Suzanne's full name not disclosed to protect her privacy the surface of the cervix), a painful cervi- cal biopsy—and misdiagnoses. Told that she had pre-cancerous cell growth, she later learned she'd actually had an inva- sive adenocarcinoma (cancer of the glans) of the cervix and was later diagnosed with Stage 1B1 cervical cancer. "It was already advanced to the pos- sibly invasive cervical cancer. It was soul crushing," she says. Suzanne needed a radical hysterectomy and lost her fertility at age 39. Finding out she had an HPV-related cancer also came as a shock to Jamie Suchomel, who, at 32, was happy and healthy with her own thriving insurance business and the love of her life, Cindy. Jamie had tested positive for a high-risk HPV infection in 2005. A routine Pap smear in June 2010 came back abnor- mal, indicating she still had the high-risk HPV infection. Jamie, too, had vaginal discharge but did not think much of it. "It's not some- thing that you discuss with your friends," she says. She also had issues with abnor- mal bleeding any time doctors attempted to obtain a sample for a cervical tissue biopsy. A few months later Jamie's life was turned upside-down when she was told she had Level 1B1 cervical cancer caused by a high-risk HPV virus. Within two short weeks, Jamie had a radical hyster- ectomy where the surgeons discovered that the invasive adenocarcinoma cells had spread deeper into her cervical wall and she also had lymphatic space inva- sion, which meant it was imperative that SHEUNDERGOǠVEROUNDSOFCHEMOˬND daily radiation treatments. "It's amazing what you don't know about cancer until it's all said and done. I didn't have time to research, to choose different options, nothing. I just did what the doctors thought was best to get rid of the cancer," she says. 8HENǠRSTDIˬGNOSEDWITHCˬNCERˬ woman deals with the immediate changes caused by the insidious effects of the rad- ical surgery, chemotherapy and radiation NEEDEDTOERˬDICˬTETHECˬNCERŀENSHE is sideswiped by the life-altering changes to her body and soul, and has to adjust to a new "normal." %R ,USHNER EXPLˬINS nŀERE IS RE- markable sexual dysfunction with cervi- cal cancer because of the complexity of the radical hysterectomy, which includes ligament and tissue involvement with the