How Is HPV Infection Diagnosed?
The appearance of genital warts is one way HPV infection is diagnosed. A doctor simply does a visual inspection. The HPV types associated with warts, however, are not generally the types associated with cancer. Women infected with the type of HPV that can cause cancer may first be told their Pap test results are abnormal. Pap tests are the main way doctors find cervical cancer or precancerous changes in the cervix. To find out for sure if the changes are related to HPV, a doctor may decide to perform a DNA test to detect the virus in women who have an abnormal Pap smear. This tells you and your doctor whether the HPV virus you have can cause cancer. Only certain strains of HPV cause cancer. Indeed, HPV 16 and 18 account for 70% of all cervical cancers. This DNA test is often done on women who have mild Pap test abnormalities. It may also be done as part of a routine Pap test to women over age 30.
