Cervical dysplasia is a precancerous lesion that, if left alone, may develop into squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix. The vast majority of cases are associated with infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18. Infection with HPV is a sexually transmitted infection; some virus types are associated with cancer (eg, types 16 and 18), while others just cause genital warts (eg, types 6 and 11).
Cervical dysplasia is due to a viral infection. The virus is HPV, and leads to cellular changes in the cervix. Untreated, these changes can either go away on its own or in some cases lead to cervical cancer.