Although most HPV infections do not cause symptoms or clinical disease, long-term continued HPV infections can lead to the development of lesions that produce one or more of the following conditions:
- Condyloma acuminata - raised and cauliflower-shaped lesions
- Condyloma planum - flat and less common lesions
- High-grade intraepithelial neoplasia - precancerous lesions
- Cancer - HPV is the causative agent of all cervical cancer and the cause of most vaginal, penile, and anal cancer.
Most genital condylomas and cervical lesions caused by HPV resolve as a result of the immune response in the infected individual. Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 1 (CIN 1) usually resolves spontaneously. Half of CIN 2 tissue also returns to normal and some CIN 3 may also resolve. It is not known if the virus is eliminated from the body or is suppressed.
The bar graph on the right illustrates the approximate number of HPV-associated cancer cases that occur yearly according to the CDC. This table can be accessed at:
