Does smoking cause HPV or cervical cancer?
No, Smoking does not increase the risk of getting infected with HPV. HPV is related to sex. However, if a woman is HPV infected, smoking increases the risk of cancer by twofold. This is a firm estimate. However, the reason is not clear because two mechanisms are plausibly involved. Remember that HPV infection keeps cervical cells from normal differentiation and sloughing. They are ripe for cancer producing mutations. Smoking is immunosuppressive and might help HPV persist. Smoke has many carcinogens in it that might damage cervical cells that are being kept going by HPV. Smoking might do both things. Viral load of HPV is not very important except for HPV16 for reasons totally unknown at this time. Just believe that smoking doubles the risk of cervical cancer among HPV infected women.
