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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffThere's no cure for HPV infection. In most cases, your immune system rids your body of the virus, and warts often go away without treatment.
A number of treatments — applied at home or performed by a doctor — are available to remove warts. These treatments appear to reduce the concentration of HPV, but they don't eliminate the virus. For example, even though you may have genital warts removed, you can still transmit HPV to a sexual partner.
Genital warts
Treatments for genital warts include:
- Imiquimod (Aldara), a prescription medication applied as a cream that may enhance your immune system's ability to fight HPV
- Podofilox (Condylox), also applied as a cream, which may destroy the genital wart tissue
- Trichloroacetic acid, a chemical treatment that burns off genital warts
- Freezing with liquid nitrogen (cryotherapy)
- Electrocautery, which uses an electrical current to burn off warts
- Surgical removal
- Laser surgery
Treatments for high-grade pre-malignant lesions
Your doctor will most likely not treat low-grade pre-malignant lesions, because they're likely to go away on their own and not develop into cancer. However, you'll need to return for follow-up Pap tests to make sure the problem has resolved.
Your doctor will most likely recommend removal of high-grade pre-malignant lesions, because they may develop into cancerous tumors. Treatments may include:
- Surgical removal
- Laser surgery
- Cryotherapy
- Electrocautery
Treatments for other warts
Treatments for common plantar and flat warts include:
- Salicylic acid, which removes layers of a wart a little bit at a time
- Imiquimod (Aldara)
- Cryotherapy
- Surgical removal
- Laser surgery
- Human papillomavirus: HPV information for clinicians. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/common-clinicians/ClinicianBro-fp.pdf. Accessed Jan. 30, 2009.
- Warts, herpes simplex, and other viral infections. In: Habif TP. Clinical Dermatology: A Color Guide to Diagnosis and Therapy. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2004. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/118486619-4/0/1195/75.html?tocnode=51441112&fromURL=75.html. Accessed Jan. 30, 2009.
- Reichman R. Epidemiology of human papillomavirus infections. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 30, 2009.
- Cancer facts & figures 2008. American Cancer Society. http://www.cancer.org/downloads/STT/2008CAFFfinalsecured.pdf. Accessed Jan. 30, 2009.
- Reichman R. Clinical presentation and diagnosis of human papillomavirus infections. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 30, 2009.
- Human papillomaviruses and cancer: Questions and answers. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/HPV. Accessed Feb. 2, 2009.
- Reichman R. Treatment and prevention of human papillomavirus infections. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 30, 2009.
- Reichman RC. Human papillomavirus infections. In: Fauci AS, et al. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 17th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2895508&searchStr=human+papillomavirus. Accessed Feb. 2, 2009.
- HPV vaccine information for young women. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/std/Hpv/STDFact-HPV-vaccine.htm. Accessed Feb. 2, 2009.
- The Pap test. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp085.cfm. Accessed Feb. 2, 2009.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, et al. Sexually transmitted diseases treatment guidelines, 2006. MMWR Recommendations and Reports. 2006;55:1. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5511a1.htm. Accessed Feb. 2, 2009.
