Papillomavirus common in college women.

A sexually transmitted disease sometimes associated with cervical cancer is common among sexually active college-age women but is usually cleared from their systems within 8 months, a study in New Jersey has found. As a result, doctors should reconsider surgery or other invasive treatments to remove cervical growths that result from human papillo-mavirus (HPV) in adolescent and young women, says study coauthor Robert D. Burk, a physician at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.

The virus, which is spread by sexual intercourse, was present at some time in 60 percent of 608 college women studied by the researchers over 3 years. At the start of the study, 27 percent had the virus; some other studies have seen an initial rate of 40 percent, Burk said.

The women were examined for HPV and filled out lifestyle questionnaires every 6 months. They underwent Pap smears annually to test for abnormal cell growth, the researchers reported in the Feb. 12 New England Journal of Medicine.

Some HPV strains cause external genital warts, but the strains that cause vaginal or cervical infections pose the greatest risk of developing into cancer. Of the 35 HPV strains that infect the cervix, the two most closely associated with cervical cancer were among the most frequent of all new HPV cases reported in the new study. Those strains also took longer to clear up than many other types.

When Pap smears reveal abnormal cervical growths caused by HPV, many doctors remove them by burning or freezing. The new study adds to evidence indicating that HPV is largely self-limiting and that such treatments might not be needed, Burk said. Instead, he notes, careful monitoring of Pap tests may be a preferred treatment for young women.