Early Sex Linked To Increased Risk of Cervical Cancer

A novel research involving a study of 20,000 women revealed that young women indulging in early sex had a two fold increased risk of developing cervical cancer. The study conducted by the International Agency for Research on Cancer findings, was aimed at elucidating the reasons behind women with poor socio-economic backgrounds having a high incidence of cervical cancer. This long existing parity between the incidence of cervical cancer between the rich and the poor was explained by this study published in the British Journal of Cancer, which stated that women from poorer backgrounds starting to have sex at a younger age.

Poorer women tended to have their first sexual intercourse four years earlier than their well off counterparts, thus increasing their chances of being infected with human papillomavirus (HPV), linked to cervical cancer, the researchers noted. According to Dr Silvia Francheschi, the lead author of the study, “In our study, poorer women become sexually active on average four years earlier. So they may also have been infected with HPV earlier, giving the virus more time to produce the long sequence of events that are needed for cancer development.”

Another key factor that contributed to early cervical cancer is the age at which a woman has her first baby. The current study assessed women’s education, sexual and reproductive history, smoking habits, and tested them for the HPV virus. The results showed that most women diagnosed with HPV infection had received five years or less of formal education and were at 41% greater odds of developing cervical cancer than those who had more than five years of education.

In response to the study results, Dr Lesley Walker, director of cancer information at Cancer Research UK says, “The results back up the need for the HPV vaccination to be given in schools at an age before they start having sex, especially among girls in deprived areas.”

Article by Snigdha taduri for Biomed-ME