What is HPV and how can it cause cancer?

What is HPV?

Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is a group of common viruses. HPV lives in the skin and cells lining the inside of our body, like the genital area, mouth, and throat.

There are over 100 types of HPV. They are split into two groups: low-risk and high-risk.

• Low-risk HPVcan cause genital warts, but does not cause cancer.
• High-risk HPVcan sometimes lead to serious illnesses, including cancer.

Almost all cases (99%) of cervical cancer are caused by high-risk HPV. High-risk HPV is also linked to other cancers, including:

• 90% of anal cancers
• 78% of vaginal cancers
• 25% of vulvar cancers (outside part of female genitals)
• 50% of penis cancers
• 60% of mouth and throat cancers

How does HPV cause cancer?

An infection with a high-risk HPV can change the way cells work. This can make the infected cells divide and grow out of control.

Most of the time, the body’s immune system kills cells infected with HPV. The person does not know they have been infected with HPV.

Sometimes, the infected cells stay in the body and keep growing. Over time, these cells can turn into cancer. This can take many years.