There are three groups of genital HPV strains: many no-risk types cause neither warts nor cancer; a few types cause genital warts; and 15 or so high-risk types can increase one's risk of cancer.
If left untreated, genital warts do not turn into cancer.
High-risk HPV, on the other hand, may trigger an infection that leads to cervical cancer. The majority of infections with high-risk HPVs clear up on their own. Some infections persist without causing
any additional abnormal cell changes. However, a few infections caused by high-risk HPVs end up triggering cervical cancer over many years.
![Low-Risk and High-Risk HPVs](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090117092805im_/http://www.cancer.gov/images/Documents/4dc6399a-2c77-48b1-b356-9b902eeb2199/Slide3.JPG)
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