According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide with over 600,000 new cases and over 300,000 deaths annually, the majority of these deaths occurring in developing countries. Most cases of cervical cancer and related deaths occur among women who have not been adequately screened, followed up, or treated.
Nearly all cases of cervical cancer are caused by infection with oncogenic, or high-risk, types of human papillomavirus (HPV), known as HR-HPV.
An HPV infection can linger for years in cervical cells and eventually convert normal cells into malignant cells. Cervical cancer occurs when an HR-HPV infection is not naturally resolved or cleared by the immune system. Approximately 10% of women with an HR-HPV infection develop these lingering infection complications.
HPV is a frequently occurring, viral, sexually transmitted infection (STI). HPV infections often present with mild signs and symptoms or are asymptomatic and do not always progress to a disease state. Since HPV infections are so common, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) believes that most sexually active adults are infected at some point during their lifetime. Infections with these sexually transmitted viruses also may cause anal cancers as well as many vaginal, vulvar, and penile cancers. HPV may also cause some oropharyngeal cancers. Although the majority of HPV infections are transient and do not result in serious disease, clinicians are concerned about the HPV infections that cause cervical and other anogenital carcinomas.
HPV cannot be grown quickly in cell cultures. Diagnosis and management of HPV have changed dramatically with the introduction of DNA methods for the diagnosis of HPV infections and vaccines for the prevention of HPV infections. Understanding HPV characteristics and diagnostic testing is essential for medical laboratory scientists.
