Library · Microorganism
HPV (human papillomavirus)
Make it clearer
When someone says HPV, they mean human papillomavirus, and there's a trap in that wording: it isn't one virus, it's more than two hundred related viruses. Think of them as a large family that shares a last name, in which no member behaves quite like the one next to it. That's why people talk about types, and why which type matters.
Some are low risk, and what they cause is warts. Others are high risk, and when the infection persists, meaning the body doesn't clear the virus and it stays put, they can produce precursor lesions, which are alterations that aren't cancer yet but can become cancer, and in some cases cancer itself. That said, most HPV infections go away, and carrying the virus doesn't mean cancer is going to happen.
In brief
HPV stands for human papillomavirus and refers to a group of more than 200 related viruses, not a single virus.
Some low-risk types can cause warts. Certain high-risk types, when the infection persists, can cause precursor lesions and cancer.
Most infections clear, and having HPV does not make cancer inevitable.
There is no direct jump from infection to cancer: persistence and precursor lesions may occur in between.
Sources (1)
- National Cancer InstituteHPV and Cancer
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated