Most types are relatively harmless, do not cause any noticeable symptoms and will go away on their own. In fact, certain types of HPV are the cause of common warts found on hands and feet.
About 30 of the HPV types infect the genital areas of women and men. While most genital HPV clear on their own through a person’s natural immune response, they sometimes can remain in the body and eventually lead to changes in the cervix. Certain types of HPV infections can cause genital warts. While these non-cancerous growths are not a sign of cancer, they are very contagious, and affect millions of people worldwide.
Other types of HPV can cause cervical abnormalities or changes in the cells of the cervix that lead to pre-cancers and cancers. The most dangerous types are HPV 16 and 18. If pre-cancerous cell abnormalities caused by these high-risk HPV types are not diagnosed early and treated properly, they can lead to invasive cervical cancer. Together, these two types of HPV account for an estimated 70 percent of cervical cancer cases.
Taking action early to prevent these pre-cancerous cell abnormalities from progressing to cervical cancer is what’s most important.
