Sexual health

High-Risk vs Low-Risk HPV: What Each Means

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High-risk HPV types, especially 16 and 18, can cause cervical and other cancers over time, while low-risk types like 6 and 11 cause genital warts but not cancer. HPV testing detects high-risk types; wart-causing types are diagnosed by appearance and are not a cancer concern.

Last updated: July 2026

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What separates high-risk from low-risk HPV?

High-risk and low-risk HPV are grouped by a single feature — whether a type can cause cancer. Of the more than 200 known HPV types, about 14 are classified as high-risk, and the rest are considered low-risk or harmless.

According to the National Cancer Institute, high-risk types can drive the slow cell changes that sometimes progress to cancer, while low-risk types cause benign growths such as warts 1. The two groups behave differently enough that screening, follow-up, and worry all sort along this high-risk versus low-risk line. Knowing which group a result falls into matters more than the specific type number, since the same virus family produces both but only the high-risk branch is what cervical screening is built to find.

Which HPV types are high-risk, and what do they cause?

High-risk HPV is dominated by types 16 and 18, the two types behind most HPV-related cancers. According to ACOG, types 16 and 18 together account for about 70% of cervical cancers, with roughly a dozen other high-risk types making up much of the rest 2.

These types rarely cause symptoms. Instead, they can quietly produce abnormal cervical cells that, if persistent, may progress over 15 to 20 years 3. That slow timeline is exactly why regular screening works: it catches high-risk changes long before cancer would develop. An abnormal Pap result most often reflects one of these high-risk infections rather than cancer itself.

Which HPV types are low-risk, and are they dangerous?

Low-risk HPV types, chiefly 6 and 11, cause the large majority of genital warts and do not lead to cancer. Warts may be a nuisance and a source of stress, but they are not a cancer risk and do not show up on a high-risk HPV test.

Because low-risk types are not oncogenic, they are managed by how they look and feel rather than by cancer screening. Treatment focuses on the warts themselves when they are bothersome. If visible bumps are the concern, information on genital wart treatment options is more relevant than a Pap result, and the two issues are handled on separate tracks.

How do tests tell high-risk and low-risk HPV apart?

HPV testing is designed to detect high-risk types, not the low-risk ones that cause warts. A primary HPV test or co-test looks for oncogenic types in cervical cells, which is why a wart-causing infection will not appear on it.

For most people with a cervix, guidelines recommend HPV-based screening about every 5 years from age 30 to 65, or a Pap every 3 years starting at 21 2. In adolescence, high-risk infections are common but usually clear on their own, which is one reason screening starts at 21. When a high-risk result does appear, ASCCP risk-based guidelines use it alongside your history to decide whether a repeat test or closer evaluation is warranted 4.

When high-risk HPV needs a gynecologist

A high-risk HPV result — particularly a persistent one, or one paired with abnormal cells — is where a gynecologist's input matters most. High-risk types are the ones that warrant follow-up such as repeat testing or colposcopy, while low-risk wart infections rarely need that pathway. Sorting a result into the right group, and matching it to your screening history, is usually the first step a clinician takes.

Reasons to check in include a positive high-risk HPV test, an abnormal Pap, new or spreading warts, or confusion about which type you have. Reviewing your pap smear schedule against current guidance can help you prepare. Gale can help you sort out which questions to bring.

Common questions

No. High-risk HPV means a type that can cause cancer over time, not that cancer is present. Most high-risk infections clear on their own, and screening catches persistent ones long before cancer would develop.

No. Low-risk and high-risk types are distinct viruses. A wart-causing type will not become an oncogenic type, though a person can carry both kinds at the same time.

Not from the warts themselves. Warts come from low-risk types that do not cause cancer. However, someone with warts may also carry a separate high-risk type, which is why routine cervical screening still applies.

Sometimes. Many HPV tests report whether high-risk types are present, and some specifically flag types 16 and 18 because they carry the most risk. Low-risk wart types are generally not included in cervical HPV testing.

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When an HPV type deserves follow-up

  • —A persistent high-risk HPV result or an abnormal Pap smear is a reason to seek clinician review.
  • —Unexplained vaginal bleeding, bleeding after sex, or persistent pelvic pain warrants evaluation by a clinician.
  • —New, spreading, or bleeding genital warts are a reason to have a clinician take a look.
  • —Any growth or sore that does not heal on the vulva or cervix is a reason to seek clinician review.

This article is general health education, not medical advice. Interpreting a specific HPV type or result belongs with a gynecologist or primary care clinician who knows your history.

References

  1. 1.National Cancer Institute (PDQ Screening and Prevention Editorial Board) (2025). Cervical Cancer Screening. National Cancer Institute (NCI), NIH. link ✓High-risk HPV types can drive slow cervical cell changes that may progress to cancer, while low-risk types cause benign growths such as warts; about 14 types are high-risk.
  2. 2.American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (2016). Practice Bulletin No. 168: Cervical Cancer Screening and Prevention. Obstetrics & Gynecology. doi:10.1097/AOG.0000000000001708 ✓Types 16 and 18 account for about 70% of cervical cancers; recommended screening is HPV-based every 5 years from age 30 to 65, or a Pap every 3 years from age 21.
  3. 3.World Health Organization (2026). Cervical cancer (fact sheet). World Health Organization (WHO). link ✓Persistent high-risk HPV infection can progress to cervical cancer over roughly 15 to 20 years.
  4. 4.Perkins RB, Guido RS, Castle PE, et al. (ASCCP) (2020). 2019 ASCCP Risk-Based Management Consensus Guidelines for Abnormal Cervical Cancer Screening Tests and Cancer Precursors. Journal of Lower Genital Tract Disease. doi:10.1097/LGT.0000000000000525 ✓Risk-based management uses a high-risk HPV result alongside screening history to decide on repeat testing or colposcopy.

4 sources, numbered by first appearance. General health information, not medical advice. AI-assisted editorial content — every citation independently verified. Editorial policy

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