Dear Colleagues,

Currently, cervical cancer is the fourth most common cause of tumors affecting the female population worldwide. The main causative factor is cervical infection sustained by human papillomavirus (HPV). 15.4% of all human cancers are caused by viral infectious agents; of these, 30% of cases are due to HPV infection. Neoplastic evolution is a rare event that occurs in only 0.3-1.2% of HPV infections; such infections are frequent in the population, representing the second cause for the incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), as well as the first in industrialized countries. The lifetime risk of contracting an HPV infection is estimated to be 80%. 

However, the relative rarity of tumor evolution compared to the infectious state suggests that other conditions for neoplastic evolution are involved between host, virus and environment. Improved knowledge of the role of single or multiple HPV infections sustained by high-risk genotypes will be essential to organize future screening and to evaluate the susceptibility to progression of high-risk cervical lesions. In addition, the role of an anti-HPV preventive vaccine represents a significant instrument for primary prevention of HPV-related disease. Several studies have evaluated potential applications of the HPV vaccine as well as the vaccine’s impact on disease pathogenesis.

We are welcome you to  contribute related papers to us, to discuss the latest research and new ideas in the field.

Dr. Mattia Dominoni 

Guest Editor