Scientists have come across a particular strain of cancer that has survived on its own for decades.
The cancer was caused by the Human papillomavirus, which is a sexually transmitted disease. After her diagnosis and before attempts to treat the disease with radium, another sample from the tumor was sent to George Gey, who was the head of tissue culture research at Hopkins. Gey discovered that the cells from Henrietta’s tumor would not only survive and multiply outside of her body, but they didn’t age either. These cells were basically immortal.
Dying from cancer is bad enough, but to have your cancer outlive you AND become immortal. There’s just something wrong with that.
Just cut these cells heads with a sword…
If they survive like this,then how is it sexually transmitted? Seems like a general contagion.
General contagion is a good definition of what HPV is. HPV is a sexually transmitted disease that almost all of us have. It’s something we’re born with.
HPV, from my understanding of it, does nothing to men but can cause cancer in women. There’s currently a vaccine in testing to prevent cancers from HPV.
HPV can cause genital warts in men and women. The key is which strain of HPV is involved. Certain strains are associated with warts and certain ones with cervical cancer.
There was some concern about religious groups trying to stop the hpv vaccine as they thought it may lead to promiscuity. I don’t know if that is still going on.