Updated August 19, 2026

Few people work with the goal of putting themselves out of business, but that’s exactly what Cornelia (“Connie”) Trimble, MD, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Cervical Dysplasia, aims to do.

She discusses five things she wants women to know about HPV, cancer risk and the importance of vaccines.

1. Women Should Not Feel Ashamed about HPV

   Anyone, female or male, who’s ever had sex, has probably been exposed to HPV. We need to work with health care professionals and advocacy groups to get rid of the stigma which too often surrounds HPV.

   “We know that raising awareness and understanding can give you choices. Knowing you have choices is empowering”, says Trimble.

2. Certain Types of HPV Are Linked with Cancer, Including Cervical Disease

   Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are a broad family of viruses which can cause cancers of the cervix, vagina, vulva, penis, the peri-anal area and the back of the throat, also called the oropharynx. While more than 200 types of HPV exist, only about a dozen of them are associated with cancer. “Together, HPV 16 and 18 account for 70% of all cervical cancer”, says Trimble. Genital warts are caused by HPV types 6 and 11, which are considered low-risk and do not cause cancer.

3. Vaccines Can Prevent Cervical Cancer

   Vaccination of all children (girls and boys) helps prevent cancers related to HPV. HPV vaccination can also help prevent re-infection with a new HPV type in persons who have already been exposed to one HPV type. In addition, it also boosts the immune response to the first HPV type. Currently, most insurance carriers will cover HPV vaccination until age 45 years for both women and men.

4. Most cases of HPV infection rarely become cancer

   The vast majority (90%) of HPV infections clear on their own over 1 or 2 years. Most people do not know they even had an HPV infection. We have learned to screen for pre-cancerous HPV lesions in women with PAP smears and to screen for HPV infection with an HPV test. Having regular HPV tests/ PAP smears is an effective way to prevent cancer.

5. What's next?

   Women can now screen themselves with a vaginal swab for HPV. This helps them avoid an uncomfortable and often embarrassing pelvic examination by a health care provider.

   We are also working on ways to stimulate a person’s own immune system to eliminate pre-cancerous HPV lesions as well as chronic infection with HPV. One approach is through a therapeutic HPV vaccine, which is different than the preventive HPV vaccine which we recommend for girls and boys. Another new approach is through a topical treatment with a plant-derived compound called artesunate. Neither is these is available commercially yet, but Trimble adds: “we have high hopes for both”.

   “My door is open,” says Trimble. “I see women for HPV issues from all over the United States and all over the world. My job is to review their history, find out what else is going on in their lives, do a physical examination, screen for HPV as appropriate, then sit down and review the options with each person. Together, we make a plan for going forward.”

   Medically reviewed by Cornelia (“Connie”) Trimble, MD.