Genital Warts and the Link to Cancer 

Genital human papillomavirus or HPV causes genital or venereal warts. The condition is on record as the most common sexually transmitted infection.

The human papillomavirus or HPV infects the skin and mucous membranes and causes the formation of raised or flat lumps in and around the private parts, and in women, even on the cervix.

The presence of the infection on the cervix, which is the opening of the womb, results in cervical cancer and in the case of those who indulge in oral sex, the human papillomavirus or HPV also causes cancer of the throat.

There are more than 40 HPV types that are known to infect the genital areas of both, men and women.

The areas infected include the skin of the penis, area outside the vagina and anus, and the sensitive inner linings of the vagina, cervix and rectum. Since, you cannot see the human papillomavirus or HPV you don’t even know you have it most of the time.

In many cases of human papillomavirus or HPV infection, people do not develop symptoms or indicative health problems. Only certain types of HPV cause genital warts in men and women, while other HPV types cause cervical cancer and cancers of the vulva, vagina, anus and penis.

HPV types are categorized as low-risk or wart-causing and high-risk or cancer-causing. The human anatomy is capable of an immune system that clears the HPV infection naturally within two years, both high-risk and low-risk types.

The genital and venereal warts appear as small groups of bumps in the genital area. They appear months after sexual contact with an infected person and if left untreated, they could increase in size or number and spread. They do not turn into cancer.

Cervical cancer symptoms only show up in the advanced stages and this makes it very important for women to get screened regularly for cervical cancer and also the less common HPV-related cancers like cancers of the vulva or vagina.

The genital or venereal warts caused by the human papillomavirus or HPV is passed on through genital contact during sex. Most people infected with the virus do not realize they are or that they are passing the virus to a sex partner.

There have been cases on record of pregnant women with genital HPV passing on genital or venereal warts caused by the human papillomavirus to the baby during vaginal delivery.

In such cases, the child is exposed to the risk of developing warts in the throat and the condition is medically referred to as recurrent respiratory papillomatosis or RRP.

The formation of genital or venereal warts caused by the human papillomavirus needs to be diagnosed and treated in time to prevent the onset of cancer.