Papillomas are benign, outward-growing lumps that may cause problems in some locations. Papillomas do not spread. They are not aggressive or cancerous.
It is important to get any lump or skin lesion seen by a doctor, though. This is to be sure that it is benign and not something to worry about. If a lump turns out to be a more worrying problem, it is important to have had it diagnosed and treated.
Another reason for getting medical attention is that papillomas can cause problems and may need treating, even though they are not cancer.
While papillomas are not cancerous, some are linked with a higher risk of cancer. Women who have been treated for multiple breast papilloma, for example, may be monitored just in case cancer also occurs.
What is a papilloma?
Papillomas are benign growths. This means that they do not grow aggressively and they do not spread around the body.
A wart is one form a papilloma can take when appearing on the surface of the skin.
The growths only form in certain types of tissue, although these are found all over the body. Papillomas can form in the surface of the skin where they are often known as warts and verrucae. They can also form in the surface of moist tissues that line the insides of the body, such as in the gut or airways.
The surfaces that papillomas are found in are called epithelia. The epithelium of the skin, for example, is the top layer made up of flat cells.
A papilloma growth in an epithelium forms a nipple-shaped outgrowth. Warts and verrucae in the skin have a familiar appearance, although they come in various shapes and sizes.
Should I be worried about a papilloma?
It is natural to have worries about a lump or lesion. If it is a papilloma, it is a benign growth, but it may still cause some concerns.
A papilloma may need a doctor to confirm that it is benign. Worrying that it could be a more serious problem is natural.
The sooner a problem is seen, the earlier that worries can be resolved.
If the diagnosis is a benign papilloma, this can be reassuring and remove any worries. If the diagnosis is papilloma but the growth is causing problems, worries about these can be eased with medical care.
Growths that turn out being more serious may cause worry at a number of stages, from waiting for results to the experience of the disease and its treatment
It is generally true that promptly seeking medical help will be better than the worries getting worse if a problem is left to a later stage. Any problems that turn out to be benign can be confirmed earlier, giving little to worry about.
Causes of papilloma
A virus causes papillomas in the skin, including genital warts. Most papillomas are known to be caused by HPV, which is short for human papillomavirus.
[HPV or Human Papilloma Virus is known to be the cause of most papillomas in the skin.]
The human papillomavirus is behind most cases of papilloma.
HPV is also believed to be the cause of most papillomas in tissues beyond the skin, including those occurring in the airway lining.
The virus is strongly linked to papillomas even for those lumps that scientists do not completely understand, such as sinonasal papillomas.
For some papillomas though, HPV is not the main cause. One example is inverted papilloma of the urinary tract, which has been linked to smoking and other potential causes.
For papillomas in the skin where HPV is known to be the cause, damage to the skin can help the virus to cause a wart. A wart that already exists can also lead to further infection if it is scratched or picked at. The growth itself cannot spread to another location, however.
There are over 100 types of HPV. Different HPVs cause different warts. Two subtypes of HPV can cause a different kind of growth. HPV types 16 and 18 in particular can be sexually transmitted and are linked with a raised risk of cervical cancer in women.
Symptoms of papilloma
Many papillomas do not produce any symptoms beyond being an annoyance. Some have an effect on self-esteem because of their appearance. Only a few papillomas produce what might be considered medical symptoms.
Breast papillomas in women can cause a watery or bloody discharge. A single papilloma in the breast that causes this sort of symptom remains a benign problem that can be treated.
A papilloma that forms inside the nose or sinuses can cause greater problems because of its location. The lump is not malignant but its growth may push against nearby structures, including the eye. Again, treatment is possible by removal.
Treatment of papilloma
Whether a papilloma lump or lesion needs treatment depends on its location and whether it is causing problems there.
Often, a papilloma or wart is harmless. These lumps can be left alone if they do not bother the person about their appearance or catch against clothing. Many internal papillomas are not even discovered until they are spotted by doctors looking into something else.
When a papilloma does need treatment, it is by destruction or removal.
[wart injection]
Injecting liquid nitrogen is one destructive method used for removing warts. Skin papilloma treatment
Doctors can treat warts on the skin using these destructive methods:
Excision – surgical removal
Cautery – burning off the tissue, the tissue is then scraped away by what doctors call curettage
Laser surgery – destroying the wart with the high-energy light of a laser
Cryotherapy – freezing off the tissue
Use of liquid nitrogen or other substances by applying them onto warts or injecting into them
Drugs applied to papilloma tissue on the skin are also used to destroy warts. Examples include 5-fluorouracil, cantharidin, imiquimod, and others, depending on the type of wart.
Breast papilloma treatment
A ductal papilloma of the breast is easily removed, and will be sent off for lab work to check that it is a benign growth.
Breast papillomas might not necessarily be removed completely. Instead, a sample of the growth may be taken for testing. This is done by biopsy, taking away part of the tissue after the area has been numbed with anesthetic.
MNT DT
