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Did You Know... The Facts About HPV?

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The Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania
Last Modified: January 13, 2008

• HPV is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases in the world.
• By age 50, about 80% of women have been infected by some type of HPV.
• Most HPV infections do not cause any symptoms, therefore people are unaware that they are infected.
• 70-80% of HPV infections resolve spontaneously because our immune system fights them off.
• HPV is found in 99% of cervical cancers.
• There are 100 strains of HPV, 12 or more are classified as “high risk” and are linked to cancer.
• Most women with HPV do NOT develop cervical cancer.
• About 20% of women infected with HPV will develop chronic infection, and 2% of these will develop cervical cancer.
• Two strains of HPV are responsible for causing genital warts.
• Sexual intercourse is not necessary for transmission of HPV; skin to skin genital/genital, genital/anal and possibly genital/oral contact is sufficient for transmission.
• Use of condoms can reduce the risk of transmission, but it cannot prevent all transmission because some genital tissue remains uncovered.
• HPV is the cause of many high and moderate grade abnormal pap smears (CIN 2/3) and some low grade lesions (CIN 1).
• HPV is estimated to cause:
• 70% of anal cancers
• 50% of vaginal and vulvar cancers
• 50% of penile cancers
• 20% of head and neck cancers
• Researchers are looking at vaccinating men as well as women.