Cervical Cancer Series 02 How Does HPV Cause Cervical Cancer?
“I’ve heard that HPV is common and that most infections go away naturally. So how can it cause cervical cancer?” Many people immediately worry about cervical cancer when they receive a positive HPV test result. This is understandable because HPV is known to be the primary cause of cervical cancer. However, HPV infection does not lead directly to cancer. Most HPV infections are controlled by the immune system and clear naturally or become undetectable. The concern arises when certain high-risk types of HPV remain in the cervix for a long time. Persistent high-risk HPV infection can interfere with the mechanisms that regulate cell growth and division. If these effects continue and cellular damage accumulates over many years, high-grade precancerous lesions may develop. Some of these lesions can eventually progress to cervical cancer. Understanding this process requires looking at more than whether HPV is present. The HPV type, whether the infection persists, and whether abnormal ch...