Human Papillomavirus and Cervical Cancer
Published Nov 1, 2004 · E. Unger, E. Barr
Emerging Infectious Diseases
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Abstract
Though cervical cancer is highly curable when detected early, it remains one of the leading causes of cancer death in women worldwide. Early detection is effective because the precursor lesions evolve slowly into invasive cancer, typically over a period of >10 years. These precursor lesions (dysplasias or cervical intraepithelial neoplasias [CIN]) are detected with cervical cytology screening, the Pap smear. In every country where a Pap smear screening program has been introduced, rates of cervical cancer have been substantially reduced. The discovery that human papillomaviruses (HPV) are etiologically linked with cervical cancer has led to efforts to apply this knowledge to improve cervical cancer screening and to potentially prevent cervical cancer through vaccination.