Genital warts & cancer
The HPV types that cause external visible warts (HPV Types 6 and 11) rarely cause cancer.
Other HPV types (most often Types 16, 18, 31, 33 and 35) are less common in visible warts but are strongly associated with penile and vulvar intra-epithelial neoplasia (pre-cancerous changes) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the genital area especially cervical cancer and less frequently invasive vulvar cancer.
However, only a very small percentage of those infected will develop genital cancer. This is because HPV infection is only one factor in the process; cigarette smoking and the immune system are also important.
Cervical smears, as recommended in the National Cervical Screening guidelines, detect early abnormalities of the cervix, which can then be treated. If these abnormalities were ignored over a long period, they could progress to cancer.
If your skin problem is troublesome and/or persistent, seek the advice of your general practitioner, dermatologist or a sexual health physician.
