How is HPV Infection Related to Cervical Cancer?
30 types of HPV have been found in association with cervical cancer. HPV type 16 is currently found in 50% of cases of cervical cancer, and type 18 is found in 20% of cases of cervical cancer. Some cervical cancers don’t have associated HPV, and most people infected with HPV do not get cancer, so HPV cannot be the full cause of cancer. Some researchers and FDA scientists wonder if the abnormal cells (cancerous or pre-cancerous) may simply be a friendly environment for viruses to grow around, so the virus infection may occur after the changes that cause cancer rather than the other way around.
