I'm 41 year old and recently had my pap smear. the pap smear came back negative but shows postive for, "hpv 18". do i have cervical cancer? can the hpv be cured?

The presence of HPV does not indicate cancer. HPV is a virus that many people have. Occasionally it is cleared by the body. HPV has the potential to cause cancerous changes in the cervix over a period of years, so your doctor will recommend repeat pap smears to ensure this is not happening. Either way, this is very treatable. There is no cause for alarm or lost sleep.

HPV 18 is one of the high risk viral strains that is associated with developing cervical cancer. Regardless of the Pap smear cytology results, a positive HPV 18 requires further evaluation with a colposcopy. This procedure involves visually checking the cervix with changes when acetic acid is applied, and if changes are identified, biopsies are taken. A trained family physician or GYN can do these