Doc Speak: Behind the Medical Jargon, What Is HPV?
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Human Papillomavirus (or HPV for short) is a common virus that has around 200 different types recorded. It causes papillomas (warts that are actually noncancerous tumors) to grow on specific areas of the body. Type 1 and 2 causes the warts to grow on the hands and feet, for instance, and other types can cause the warts to grow in the throat or on the genitals. That genital-wart variety is actually considered a sexually-transmitted disease. Many times HPV will come and go without any abnormalities, but it can result in much worse scenarios: namely, cervical or oropharyngeal cancer.
Source: WebMD
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