Can hpv lie dormant f. 29 yr before becoming anal cancer?

Yes: Yes hpv often lies dormant. That is, people encounter the virus when they are young and then normal paps, or no evidence of lesion, until one has an abnormal pap or a lesion in older age. If this question is regarding you, your doctor should be able to tell whether your cancer is related to anal cancer, as not all anal cancers are due to hpv.

Current belief that : Hpv may be associated, and they can tell by biopsy. Many have been infected, few persistently so, and even fewer get cancer. Indeed can be dormant.