Early HPV testing improves early detection HPV is transmitted through sexual contact and women can be infected even if they have only one sexual partner or even if they have not had sex for many years. Most HPV infections are asymptomatic and can be cleared by the body’s natural immune system. However, by the time symptoms appear, the cancer is usually in a more advanced stage and difficult to treat, making early detection necessary. The cervix is equivalent to the gate of the uterus and has the function of defense and guarding. The special status of the cervix makes it vulnerable to foreign bacteria and viruses, and the trauma caused by childbirth and miscarriage, as well as the special morphological changes of the cervical epithelial tissue, lead to the tendency of inflammation to malignant transformation of the cervical epithelium. Although the cause of cervical cancer is still not fully understood, according to the data, sexual disorders (multiple sexual partners), premature sexual intercourse, close births, multiple births, people with other STD (sexually transmitted diseases), people receiving immunosuppressive therapy, smokers and drug users, and people with family history of cervical lesions, cervical cancer, endometrial cancer, vaginal cancer or vulvar cancer are the high-risk factors for cervical cancer. The progression from cervical precancer to cervical cancer is a long process and HPV can be latent in the body for 10 years or more without any symptoms. Therefore, it is important to include HPV testing as part of routine screening to improve early detection rate through early detection, and the cure rate of cervical precancerous lesions is as high as 98%, which can eventually prevent the occurrence of cervical cancer. Women who are sexually active can start HPV testing after the age of 30. If the test result is negative, it means no HPV infection and no risk of cervical cancer for a long time; if the test result is positive, it does not necessarily indicate cervical cancer, but can be combined with further colposcopy, as only persistent infection may eventually develop into cervical cancer. Regular HPV testing should be done even if you have received the cervical cancer vaccine. There are more than 100 subtypes of HPV, and more than 10 high-risk subtypes are associated with cervical cancer, and the vaccine targets only a few of them. There are more than 100 different types of HPV known, most of which are considered “low risk” and are not associated with cervical cancer. However, 14 HPV types are classified as “high-risk” because they have been shown to cause almost all cervical cancers. Of these, the two highest risk strains, HPV16 and HPV18, cause about 70 percent of cervical cancer cases. Women carrying these two strains are 35 times more likely to develop precancerous cervical lesions compared to women who are not infected with HPV, even if they have normal cytology results. ”The higher-risk ones are types 16 and 18, so a lot of vaccines now are for those two.” But, if the body is infected with other types of HPV, it can also cause cervical cancer. Therefore, even if you get the cervical cancer vaccine, you still need regular cervical cancer screenings. ”We recommend screening whenever you have been sexually active for more than 3 years.” , if both HPV and TCT cervical cancer screening are negative, you can check again in a few years; if one is positive, it depends on the specific situation to determine how to deal with it.