Check your references; some strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) are associated with increased risks of cervical cancer and cancers of the vulva, vagina, penis, anus, and oropharynx (back of throat including base of tongue and tonsils).
That's why some public health authorities are pushing for vaccinating pre-teen girls (before they become sexually active) for HPV in order to reduce their risk for cervical cancer and other cancers.
See: http://www.cdc.gov/std/HPV/STDFact-HPV.htm
Cheers,
bcg
Originally Posted by bluffcityguy
Indeed! You're right, HPV is one of the most common stds around nowadays. I stand corrected! Although, it's stretching it to say that hpv causes cancer, as only prolonged and persistent infections with high risk strains that are left untreated are the ones known to progress to cancer.
Sexually transmitted HPVs fall into two categories:
- Low-risk HPVs, which do not cause cancer but can cause skin warts (technically known as condylomata acuminata) on or around the genitals or anus. For example, HPV types 6 and 11 cause 90 percent of all genital warts.
- High-risk or oncogenic HPVs, which can cause cancer. At least a dozen high-risk HPV types have been identified. Two of these, HPV types 16 and 18, are responsible for the majority of HPV-caused cancers.
High-risk HPV infection accounts for approximately 5 percent of all cancers worldwide (
4). However, most high-risk HPV infections occur without any symptoms, go away within 1 to 2 years, and do not cause cancer. These transient infections may cause cytologic abnormalities, or abnormal cell changes, that go away on their own.Some HPV infections, however, can persist for many years. Persistent infections with high-risk HPV types can lead to more serious cytologic abnormalities or lesions that, if untreated, may progress to cancer.
So, even if infected with a high risk strain for years, you would just leet the abnomal areas away and the cancerous cells are stifled.
See:
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/HPV