What is HPV? And Does it Cause Cancer?

If you are an American and you’re having sex, there’s a pretty high chance that you have HPV. And yes, HPV can lead to cancer. A lot of people are still confused about this, so we want to help clear it up. HPV is spread through sexual contact and is extremely common in Western society, according to Dr. Jessica Geiger, a medical oncologist at Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center.

The majority of people with HPV will not get cancer, but “for about 6 to 7 percent of the population, the virus remains dormant in our body, and can ultimately cause changes that form cancer. We recommend strongly that children are vaccinated against HPV before they are sexually active,” Dr. Geiger says.