The Nation - News from June 1, 1989

Women infected with two sexually transmitted varieties of the papilloma virus face double the usual risk of cervical cancer, a study concluded. The research, conducted in Latin America, is the first major population study to estimate the increased risk of cancer in women infected with this common virus, which had been linked to cervical cancer. At least 60 varieties of the papilloma virus have been identified. Some cause common warts, while others cause genital warts. The kinds associated with cervical cancer in this study--types 16 and 18--are not thought to cause warts but can be spread through sexual intercourse. The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, was conducted in Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia and Mexico.