Prevention of Human Papillomavirus-Related Malignancies of the Female Genital Tract

Persistent infection from high-risk HPV types is necessary for the development of cervical cancer and constitutes a main cause for a significant proportion of cancers in other sites of the female anogenital tract such as the vulva, the vagina, and the anus [1]. Cervical cancer in particular being the third most common cancer in women (with approximately 530,000 cases and 275,000 deaths per year) [2] is an important global health issue warranting intensive preventive efforts [3]. Secondary prevention through cervical cytology screening has been effective in reducing the incidence and the mortality of the disease [4]. However, cervical cytology has certain limitations one of which is poor reproducibility. In the study by A. C. Barcelos et al. titled “Atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance: bethesda classification and association with human papillomavirus” which appears in this special issue, observers would agree in the diagnosis of ASCUS only in two out of three cases.