Abstract
Well over 1 million cases of human papilloma virus (HPV) infections requiring treatment have been reported each year in the United States, representing a more than 650% increase in cases in the past 25 years. Most likely, a large number of cases that are not readily visible go unreported. Of over 60 known HPV types, only about 8 are found in the anogenital region. Types 6 and 11 are typically benign and present in the form of condylomata acuminate–genital warts. However, others, such as types 16 and 18, replicate differently and are associated with high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and invasive cancer. DNA from these HPV types are found in about 50% of biopsies from cervical, vulvar, and penile cancer. As there is currently no easy and sure way for a practitioner to identify and separate harmless HPVs from dangerous ones, all visible HPV-related lesions need to be promptly treated, and high-risk individuals need to be checked for nonvisible lesions.