Human Papillomavirus and Cervical Cancer

Abstract

Decades of innovative work in the field of human papillomavirus (HPV), starting with proper demonstration associated with the transmissible causative agent that is responsible for warts formation on the cervix, lead to well-documented confirmation that various HPV strains represent a class of carcinogens resulting in development of cervical malignancy. Recently, cervical malignancy research has been translated into preventive strategies globally. Various HPV research has exerted appropriate significant impact on global burden of viral infection and development of disease. In spite of that, it also provides intuitive ways into well-marked mechanistic processes fundamental for development of lesions in cervical cancer, which have broader reach. HPV infection is considered to be a leading cause of cervical cancer development, in which it contributes around 15-20%. More than 200 different strains of HPV have been identified, but only 15 strains of HPV possess oncogenic potential to induce the oncogenesis process. The correlation between high-risk strains of HPV and cervical cancer is clearly established. Moreover, HPV plays an essential role in cellular transformation of cervical epithelial cells, but alone it is not that efficient, and various other molecular events or cofactors influence whether it will develop cancer. Cervical cancer is thoroughly curable at an early stage. It has become the leading cause of cancer death in females worldwide. Involvement of HPV infection can be clearly presumed in around 99% cases of cervical cancer.

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