Cervical cancer: warning signs not to ignore

. The main culprit? The human papillomavirus (HPV). Very common, it is mainly transmitted sexually and affects the majority of sexually active people at some point in their lives. The good news is that our immune system eliminates it naturally in most cases. But sometimes, certain strains (particularly types 16 and 18) take hold and cause precancerous lesions that, over time, can develop into cancer.