Do Genital Warts Cause Cancer?

25 June 2011, 11:52 am

Genital warts and HPV are the most common sexually transmitted diseases today. Sadly, many people will be infected with HPV and not know it until months later. This is because HPV can lay dormant in your system for months before it causes an outbreak of genital warts. The big question is can these genital warts cause cancer?

Genital warts do not cause cancer. They are just a symptom of the Human Papillomavirus. It is the same principle when you have a cold.  The common cold is caused by a virus and the symptoms of the cold are sneezing and a runny nose. However, HPV is a lot more serious than the common cold.

There are over one hundred strains of HPV. Forty of these strains can infect the anal and genital areas. These strains can be further categorized into high risk and low risk strains. It is interesting to note that HPV can be found to be the cause of cervical cancer almost 100% of the time. There is no other cancer that has been found to have one central cause.

The good news is, your body’s immune system can clear HPV about eighty percent of the time. However, it has been determined that there are several risk factors that can prevent the immune system from fighting off HPV.  Women who smoke, are on oral contraceptives for more than five years, have multiple births or have poor nutrition are all at higher risk for developing cervical cancer. Smoking has been found to be the biggest contributing factor to the development of cervical cancer. Researchers have found nicotine to be present in the cervical cells of smokers.

So if you have genital warts, it doesn’t mean you have cancer. However, it is important that you see a doctor and be tested to determine the type of HPV you have. If you are found to have the high risk strains of HPV, you will need to follow up with your doctor regularly.