EPIDEMIOLOGY OF ANOGENITAL WARTS AND CANCER

The epithelial lining of the anogenital tract is the target for infect ion by a group of mucosotropic viruses, the HPVs. Clinical or subclini cal, transient or persistent, HPV infections are among the most common sexually transmitted diseases. The prevalence of genital HPV infectio n among sexually-active asymptomatic women is 20% to 40%, using amplif ied or non-amplified DNA hybridization methods to detect the virus. Th ere are more than 70 HPV types defined on the basis of DNA homology, o f which nearly 30 infect the anogenital tract. HPV infection is the di rect cause of anogenital warts and a precursor event in the genesis of cervical cancer and other anogenital malignant tumors. Other HPV type s commonly associated with anogenital warts are, for the most part, of low oncogenic risk.