 Parents, we know we can't protect our kids from everything. Eventually, they're going to bump their heads or scrape their knees. But we can protect them from six types of cancer. HPV, or human papillomavirus, is a common, preventable virus that can cause cancer later in life. The HPV vaccine prevents human papillomavirus and all the cancers it can cause. The American Cancer Society recommends getting your sons and daughters the HPV vaccine starting at age 9 to protect them later in life.