Of the 200 different types of human papillomavirus, or HPV, 40 types are known to be transmitted sexually. HPV infections can lead to flat or genital warts, as well as penile, anal and oral cancers. Treatments for genital warts can manage the symptoms--no cure exists as of 2010; treatments for penile, anal or oral cancer revolve around lifestyle changes, the stage of the cancer and how early the diagnosis was made. Common, flat and plantar warts may go away by themselves without treatment.
Genital Warts
Removing the genital warts is the primary goal of treatment, notes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Complete eradication of the virus is unlikely, although genital warts may resolve on their own. The vaccine Gardasil is used to prevent genital warts in men. A number of treatments can be applied to the affected areas by the patient or the physician that are relatively the same in effectiveness. Because treatment can be done in the privacy of the patient's home, patient-applied prescriptions such as imiquimod cream or podofilox solution are often preferred. Treatments with podophyllin resin, trichloroacetic or bichloroacetic acid, as well as cryotherapy using liquid nitrogen, laser or surgical removal, are physician-applied.
Oral Cancer
The American Cancer Society cites four treatment choices for oral cancer: surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and targeted therapy. Targeted therapy affects the epidermal growth factor receptor, EGFR. Surgery, radiation and chemotherapy may be used alone or together, but the drugs that target EGFR in the cancer cells tend to control tumors longer. The side effects are usually less severe than the side effects from chemotherapy.
Penile Cancer
Considered by the American Cancer Society to be a high-risk HPV, penile cancer treatment depends on several things: the stage to which the cancer has progressed, the health of the patient, lifestyle changes and side effects. Surgery--with or without radiation--is the main treatment choice. If the cancer has spread deep into the penis, lymph nodes may need to be removed.
Anal Cancer
Three types of treatment are available to treat anal cancer: surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. The most common is a combination of radiation and chemotherapy, called chemo-radiotherapy, that often does away with the need for surgery. According to the American Cancer Society, surgery is not necessarily the first treatment choice.
Non-Malignant Warts
Flat, common or plantar warts are non-malignant, according to MayoClinic.com, and are spread by skin contact. Common warts appear as raised bumps on the hands or fingers, plantar warts as hard and grainy surfaces on the ball or heel of the foot, and flat warts as raised and flat-topped, slightly darker than normal skin. They may go away without intervention, or be treated with salicylic acid, imiquimod, laser surgery, surgical removal or cryotherapy.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Sexually Transmitted Diseases Guideline 2006:Genital Warts
- American Cancer Society: Treating Oral Cavity and Oropharyngeal Cancer: General treatment information
- American Cancer Society: Penile Cancer
- American Cancer Society: Anal Cancer Overview
- Avert: Genital Warts
