Cervical cancer: Virtually all cervical cancers are caused by HPV.

Oropharyngeal cancers: Most of these cancers, which develop in the throat (usually the tonsils or the back of the tongue), are caused by HPV (70% of those in the United States).

Anal cancer: Over 90% of anal cancers are caused by HPV.

Penile cancer: Most penile cancers (over 60%) are caused by HPV.

Vaginal cancer: Most vaginal cancers (75%) are caused by HPV.

Vulvar cancer: Most vulvar cancers (70%) are caused by HPV.

There are more than 100 varieties of human papillomavirus (HPV). All HPVs are believed to be capable of establishing long-term “latent” infections in small numbers of stem cells present in the skin. Although these latent infections may never be fully eradicated, immunological control is thought to block the appearance of symptoms such as warts.

Some types of HPV infection cause warts, and some can cause different types of cancer. Warts are contagious. They can spread through direct contact with a wart. Warts can also spread when someone touches something that already touched a wart. Most HPV infections don’t lead to cancer. But some types of genital HPV can cause cancer of the lower part of the uterus that connects to the vagina (cervix). Other types of cancers, including cancers of the anus, penis, vagina, vulva and back of the throat (oropharyngeal), have been linked to HPV infection.

These infections are often transmitted sexually or through other skin-to-skin contact. The HPV infection and early cervical cancer typically don’t cause noticeable symptoms. Cervical cancer may take 20 years or longer to develop after an HPV infection. Because early cervical cancer doesn’t cause symptoms, it’s vital that women have regular screening tests to detect any precancerous changes in the cervix that might lead to cancer.

Current guidelines recommend that women ages 21 to 29 have a Pap test every three years. Women ages 30 to 65 are advised to continue having a Pap test every three years, or every five years if they also get the HPV DNA test at the same time. Women over 65 can stop testing if they’ve had three normal Pap tests in a row, or two HPV DNA and Pap tests with no abnormal results.

Low-risk HPVs mostly cause no disease. However, a few low-risk HPV types can cause warts on or around the genitals, anus, mouth, or throat.  Two types of HPV (types 6 and 11) cause most cases of genital warts. Warts are considered low-risk HPV because they don’t lead to cancer or other serious health problems. Nearly all cervical cancer is due to HPV. These are called high-risk or carcinogenic HPV. There are about 14 high-risk HPV types including HPV 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 66, and 68. Two strains – HPV16 and HPV18 – account for 70% of cases. HPV16 is responsible for almost 90% of HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancers. Getting vaccinated against HPV infection is the protection from cervical cancer.

Screening tests are used to check for disease when there are no symptoms. The goal of screening for cervical cancer is to find precancerous cell changes at an early stage, before they become cancer and when treatment can prevent cancer from developing.

An HPV test looks for high-risk HPV in women. Health care providers can usually diagnose low-risk HPV by visually examining the warts. So no testing is needed. While men can be infected with HPV, testing is generally not recommended for men. Most men with HPV recover from the infection without any symptoms.

The HPV test is used to check for the type of HPV that can lead to cervical cancer (high risk types). It is often done at the same time as a pap smear, a procedure that checks for abnormal cells that can also lead to cervical cancer. When an HPV test and a pap smear are done at the same time, it’s called co-testing. Unlike tests that rely on visual inspection, HPV-testing is an objective test. It has been shown to be simpler, prevents more pre-cancers and cancers, and saves more lives. It is also more cost-effective than visual inspection techniques or cytology (commonly known as ‘pap smears’).

Raazi Clinical Laboratory HPV panel testing uses Polymerase chain reaction for detection of high-risk HPV. Polymerase chain reaction is the most commonly used tool in the detection of HPV DNA. In theory, PCR can take a single double-stranded piece of DNA and amplify it to 1 billion copies after 30-40 cycles.

What do the results of HPV test mean? Your results will be given as negative, also called normal, or positive, also called abnormal.

Negative/Normal. No high-risk HPV was found. Your health care provider may recommend you come back for another screening in five years, or sooner depending on your age and medical history.

Positive/Abnormal. High-risk HPV was found. It does not mean you have cancer. It means you may be at higher risk for getting cervical cancer in the future. Your health care provider may order more tests to monitor and/or diagnose your condition. These tests may include:

Colposcopy, a procedure in which your provider uses a special magnifying tool (colposcope) to look at the vagina and cervix.

Cervical Biopsy, a procedure in which your provider takes a sample of tissue from the cervix to look at under a microscope

More frequent co-testing (HPV and pap smear)

If your results were positive, it’s important to get regular or more frequent tests. It can take decades for abnormal cervical cells to turn into cancer. If found early, abnormal cells can be treated before they become cancerous. It’s much easier to prevent cervical cancer than to treat it once it develops.