Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the U.S., affecting some 80 percent of sexually active Americans. And HPV can cause inflammation wherever it infects the body.

When HPV infects cervical tissue, it causes cellular changes and disrupts the normal functioning of the cells in that area. This is called cervical dysplasia, a precancerous condition in which abnormal cell growth occurs on the surface lining of the cervix. (It is also referred to as cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.) The condition is commonly diagnosed in women younger than 30. Cervical dysplasia is diagnosed by a Pap smear, and most cases resolve on their own, without any treatment.

HPV infection is found in most but not all cases of cervical dysplasia, and we know that HPV can cause inflammation and alter cells on the cervix (and other tissues as well). This can lead to a diagnosis of cervical dysplasia. When a Pap smear test is conducted, cells are analyzed for HPV. That’s how we know which strains of HPV are associated with cervical dysplasias and cervical cancers.

The conventional treatment for HPV is to freeze or burn the affected tissue, or to surgically remove it. Laser treatment is also, though less commonly, used.

The medical establishment contends that HPV causes cervical dysplasia, and because dysplasia can lead to cancer, the conventional thinking is that HPV is responsible for the cancer.

But no randomized studies and no animal studies have demonstrated the progression from HPV to cervical cancer. It’s simply an assumption.