{"id":1544,"date":"2014-12-03T08:39:35","date_gmt":"2014-12-03T08:39:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tmc.edu\/news\/unexpected-threat-hpv\/"},"modified":"2019-08-16T14:58:43","modified_gmt":"2019-08-16T14:58:43","slug":"unexpected-threat-hpv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tmc.edu\/news\/2014\/12\/unexpected-threat-hpv\/","title":{"rendered":"An Unexpected Threat to HPV"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States, affecting between 60 and 80 percent of sexually active adults. Despite its prevalence, there is no cure. A study at The University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHealth) Medical School at Houston, however, could provide hope for people with HPV. It comes in the form of a pill containing an extract derived from an unusual source: mushrooms.<\/p>\n

The extract, Active Hexose Correlated Compound (AHCC), comes from shiitake mushrooms and is a readily available nutritional supplement. It has been used to relieve side effects of chemotherapy, which is what originally interested Judith A. Smith, Pharm.D., associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at UTHealth Medical School. Smith began studying AHCC a decade ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom a pharmacology perspective, I wanted to rule out any potential drug interactions with chemotherapy,\u201d said Smith. \u201cWe then observed some antitumor effects and started digging deeper and learning more about its immune modulating effects.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith and her team spent two years completing in vitro studies showing the effects of AHCC on HPV, largely because they were so taken aback by the results.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a lot of healthy skeptics, and I\u2019ve probably been the biggest of those skeptics. How could this nutritional supplement possibly eradicate one of the most difficult viruses we\u2019ve been challenged with in the cancer arena?\u201d said Smith.<\/p>\n

There is no known cure for HPV, and strains of the virus also cause cancer, including cervical cancer, the second most common in women. Without a cure, women infected with HPV are left to wait and see if they develop cancer.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they\u2019re tested and we tell them they\u2019re positive, right now there\u2019s nothing we can do. We say, \u2018We\u2019ll check you in another year,\u2019\u201d said Smith. \u201cWhen HPV testing became approved and recommended, I thought, \u2018Wow, how frustrating for women.\u2019 It creates a lot of anxiety and feelings of lack of control.\u201d<\/p>\n

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“We had a lot of healthy skeptics, and I\u2019ve probably been the biggest of those skeptics. How could this nutritional supplement eradicate one of the most difficult viruses we\u2019ve been challenged with in the cancer arena?” \u2014 Judith A. Smith, Pharm. D., associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at The University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHealth) Medical School at Houston<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Vaccines against HPV are available, but the low vaccination rate and the number of people beyond the age of vaccination mean vast numbers of women are infected and left in limbo.<\/p>\n

The lack of options inspired Smith to begin researching HPV a decade ago. Despite the success of the in vitro studies, however, she and her team were not convinced of the possible positive effects of AHCC on HPV.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did mouse studies and, again, repeated the mouse studies in two models,\u201d said Smith. \u201cWe were able\u00a0to treat with AHCC and eradicate the HPV, then stop treatment and see a durable response.\u201d<\/p>\n

That response was key to determining whether AHCC could be truly effective in treating HPV\u2014it wouldn\u2019t just suppress the virus, but eradicate it. Data from a third animal study enabled Smith and her team to tackle the next hurdle: testing the efficacy of AHCC\u00a0in human patients. Thanks to philanthropic funds, they were able to complete a pilot study treating ten women with the nutritional supplement.<\/p>\n

Each of the women in the pilot study was over 30 and had HPV positive persistent infections, meaning they had been infected for 18 months or more. None of the women had cancerous lesions. A main objective\u00a0of the pilot study was to determine dosage and length of treatment.<\/p>\n

Three patients showed complete eradication after stopping AHCC. Two have yet to complete their courses of AHCC, but have tested HPV negative. The remaining patients stopped taking AHCC before testing completely negative. The next step would be a Phase II double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial to confirm the early results of the pilot study.<\/p>\n

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The regimen they determined involves taking three grams of AHCC on an empty stomach once a day for up to five months. It\u2019s a course of treatment Smith gladly shares.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s definitely in the category of\u00a0\u2018it won\u2019t hurt you,\u2019\u201d said Smith. \u201cWill it definitely help you? I can\u2019t tell you that. I\u2019m not in any position, nor do we have the data, to say yes. We\u2019re not there yet, but we\u2019re trying to get there.\u201d<\/p>\n

The success of AHCC so far has been a happy surprise. \u201cWe had been looking at this the whole time going, \u2018If this works, the potential is huge,\u2019\u201d said Smith. \u201cAnd now ten years later, the potential could be more than I envisioned.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Should AHCC studies continue to bring positive results, Smith\u2019s vision is to make the treatment available to as many women as possible, eliminating that limbo between HPV infection and possible cancer diagnosis.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf further studies confirm our early findings, my ultimate goal would be to be able to find the financial means to support bringing this to underserved patients throughout the world, and here in Texas. That\u2019s where the HPV virus in women with no access to health care is kind of a perfect storm as to why people end up with cancer,\u201d said Smith. \u201cI really want to help those patients.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States, affecting between 60 and 80 percent of sexually active adults. Despite its prevalence, there is no cure. A study at The University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHealth) Medical School at Houston, however, could provide hope for people with HPV. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":1545,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[6,517,518,519,86,10],"yoast_head":"\nAn Unexpected Threat to HPV - TMC News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tmc.edu\/news\/2014\/12\/unexpected-threat-hpv\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"An Unexpected Threat to HPV - TMC News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States, affecting between 60 and 80 percent of sexually active adults. 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