The death of Farrah Fawcett after her long and courageous battle with anal cancer has saddened all of those who loved her.

Anal cancer is closely related to the human papilloma virus (HPV). HPV is the virus that causes genital warts and cervical cancer. This does not mean that Farrah had a history of sexual promiscuity; it just means that like many Americans, she was exposed to the virus at some point in her past.

Approximately between 45 and 90 percent of all caners of the anus are caused by the HPV virus. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the U.S. Approximately twenty five percent of females in the United States are infected with the HPV virus, however only a small fraction of these women will develop anal cancer.

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