According to the CDC, when high-risk HPV lingers and infects the cells of the vulva, vagina, penis, or anus, it can cause cell changes called precancers. These may eventually develop into cancer if they’re not found and removed in time. However, these cancers are much less common. The National Cancer Institute and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that high-risk HPVs cause 3% of all cancers in women and 2% of all cancers in men. Each year, there are about 45,000 new cases of cancer in parts of the body where HPV is often found, and HPV is estimated to cause about 36,000 of these. It is important to note that not all high-risk HPV infections become cancerous, but some do. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, around 50% of HPV infections involve certain high-risk types of HPV, which can cause cancer. Most of the time, the body clears these infections and they do not lead to cancer. However, persistent infections can cause changes that lead to cancer. Therefore, the percentage of high-risk HPV that turns into cancer is not a fixed number, as it depends on various factors such as the type of HPV, the immune system of the person infected, and whether the infection is persistent or not.