Risk Factors for Vulvar 슬롯 사이트

A risk factor is anything that changes a person's chance of getting a disease such as cancer. Different cancers have different risk factors. For example, exposing skin to strong sunlight is a risk factor for skin cancer. Smoking is a risk factor for many cancers.

There are different kinds of risk factors. Some, such as your age or race, can¡¯t be changed. Others may be related to personal choices such as smoking, drinking, or diet. Some factors influence risk more than others. But risk factors don't tell us everything. Having a risk factor, or even several, does not mean that a person will get the disease. Also, not having any risk factors doesn't mean that you won't get it, either.

Although several risk factors increase the odds of developing vulvar cancer, most women with these risks do not develop it. And some who don¡¯t have any apparent risk factors develop vulvar cancer. When vulvar cancer develops, it is usually not possible to say with certainty that a particular risk factor was the cause.

Age

The risk of vulvar cancer goes up as women age. Less than 20% of cases are in women younger than age 50, and more than half occur in women over age 70. The average age of women diagnosed with invasive vulvar cancer is 70.  women diagnosed with non-invasive vulvar cancer average are about 20 years younger.

Human papillomavirus (HPV)

HPVs are a large group of related viruses. Papillomas ¡ª more commonly known as warts ¡ª are not cancers. Different HPV types can cause different types of warts in different parts of the body. Some types cause common warts on the hands and feet. Other types tend to cause warts on the lips or tongue.

Certain HPV types can infect the outer female and male genital organs and the anal area, causing raised, bumpy warts. These warts may barely be visible, or they may be several inches across. The medical term for genital warts is condyloma acuminatum. Two types of HPV (HPV 6 and HPV 11) cause most cases of genital warts, but are seldom linked to cancer and are known as low-risk HPV.

Other HPV types have been linked with cancers of the cervix, vagina, and vulva in women, cancer of the penis in men, and cancers of the anus and throat (in men and women). These are known as high-risk types of HPV and include HPV 16 and HPV 18, as well as others. Infection with a high-risk HPV may produce no visible signs until pre-cancerous changes or cancer develop.

HPV can pass from one person to another during skin-to-skin contact. Usually, HPV is spread is through sexual activity, including vaginal and anal intercourse and even oral sex.

If a vulvar cancer patient is found to have HPV, the cancer is categorized as either HPV-associated or HPV-independent.

• More than half of all vulvar cancers are HPV-associated squamous cell carcinomas and tend to develop in younger women. The most common associated HPVs are HPV 16 and HPV 33. 
• HPV-independent vulvar squamous cell carcinoma is more often found in older women and may develop from a precursor lesion called differentiated vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (discussed below).

Vaccines have been developed to help prevent infection with some types of HPV.

For more about HPV, see HPV (Human Papillomavirus).

Smoking

Smoking exposes people to many cancer-causing chemicals that affect more than their lungs. These harmful substances can be absorbed into the lining of the lungs and spread throughout the body. Smoking increases the risk of developing vulvar cancer. Among women who have a history of HPV infection, smoking further increases the risk of developing vulvar cancer. If women are infected with a high-risk HPV, they have a much higher risk of developing vulvar cancer if they smoke.

HIV infection

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) causes AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). Because HIV damages the immune system, it makes women more likely to get and to stay infected with HPV. This could increase the risk of vulvar pre-cancer and cancer. Scientists also believe that the immune system plays a role in destroying cancer cells and slowing their growth and spread. If the immune system is damaged by HIV, the growth of cancer cells would be less controlled.

Vulvar squamous intraepithelial lesions  (SIL)

Squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva usually forms slowly over many years. Pre-cancerous changes often occur first and can last for several years. The medical term most often used for this pre-cancerous condition is vulvar squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL), also known as vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN). Intraepithelial means that the abnormal cells are only found in the surface layer of the vulvar skin (epithelium).

Vulvar SIL is categorized by how the lesions and cells look: low-grade, high-grade, or differentiated. 

• Low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) of the vulva is also known as VIN1. It tends to develop in women with low-risk HPV that causes condylomas (genital warts).
• High-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) of the vulva is also known as usual-type VIN (uVIN) or VIN2 and VIN3.  It is the most common type of SIL and tends to develop in younger women with high-risk HPV.
• Differentiated-type VIN (dVIN) is also known as VIN simplex. It tends to occur in older women and is associated with lichen sclerosus, an inflammatory skin condition of the vulva.

Although women with SIL have an increased risk of developing invasive vulvar cancer, most cases of SIL never progress to cancer. Still, since it is not possible to tell which ones will become cancers, treatment or close medical follow-up is needed.

The risk of progression to cancer seems to be highest with HSIL and lower in LSIL. This risk can be altered with treatment. In one study, 88% of untreated HSIL progressed to cancer, but of the women who were treated, only 4% developed vulvar cancer.

Vulvar lichen sclerosus

Vulvar lichen sclerosus is an inflammatory condition that causes the vulvar skin to become very thin and itchy. The risk of vulvar cancer appears to be slightly increased by lichen sclerosus. About 4% of women with this condition later develop vulvar cancer.

History of other genital cancers

Women with cervical cancer also have a higher risk of vulvar cancer. This is probably because these cancers share certain risk factors. The same HPV types that are linked to cervical cancer are also linked to vulvar cancer. Smoking is also linked to a higher risk of both cervical and vulvar cancers.