HPV and Cancer

While HPV is an extremely common infection, and there is a link between HPV and cervical, anal, penile, some vulval and throat cancers, it is important to know that very few people with HPV will ever develop cancer.

Most of the HPV types that produce warts on the genitals are not associated with development of cell abnormalities that progress to cancer.

It is also unlikely that HPV infection alone is sufficient to cause cancer. The HPV infection is only one event in a multistep pathway to cancer. While many possible co-factors have been suggested, the relative risks of each have yet to be determined. However, some of the most commonly implicated co-factors include smoking, and a weakened immune system.

Unlike for cervical cancer, there is no current effective screening test for HPV-related cancers affecting the throat, penile or anal regions.

Statistics*

Globally, HPV is responsible for around 630,000 cancer diagnoses each year.

Cervical cancers - around 90% of cervical cancer diagnoses are caused by HPV.
Anal cancer - around 90% of anal cancer diagnoses are caused by HPV.
Head and neck cancers - around 1 in 3 head and neck cancer diagnoses are caused by HPV.
Vaginal cancer - 4 out of 5 cases of vaginal cancer are caused by HPV.
Vulval cancer - about half of all cases of vulval cancers are caused by HPV.
Penile cancer - over half of the cancers affecting the skin of the penis are caused by HPV.