Human papillomavirus (HPV)-induced cervical carcinogenesis is proposed to be multi-step in nature. The major steps in cervical carcinogenesis include persistent infection of the metaplastic cervical epithelium with one or more of the oncogenic HPV infection, clonal progression of the infected epithelium to cervical precancer, and further invasion. Although these fundamental steps are well established, several new genetic and immunologic studies have shed light on the factors that influence each of these transitions. Over 150 different HPV subtypes have been identified so far, with a subset of these being classified as high risk for oncogenesis. Persistent infection with oncogenic HPV is the main cause of cervical cancer. Polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR)-based assays show that HPV DNA exist in around 90.7- 96.6% patients with cervical cancer and in 13.4 -15.6% control women. About the detected HPV types in patients, in descending order of frequency, are types 16, 18, 45, 31, 33, 52, 58, and 35. Fifteen HPV types are classified as high-risk types (16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 68, 73, and 82); 3 are classified as probable high-risk types (26, 53, and 66); and 12 are classified as low-risk types (6, 11, 40, 42, 43, 44, 54, 61, 70, 72, 81). The most frequently detected high risk HPV types (HPV 16, 51, 52, and 59) are similar in male of different sites, which is compatible with the female incidence.