Human papillomavirus in cervical neoplasia. Role, risk factors, and implications

A rapidly increasing body of evidence links human papillomavirus (HPV) to cervical neoplasia through epidemiologic associations, pathologic features, molecular detection, and mechanisms of oncogenesis. HPV is now accepted as the primary cause of cervical neoplasia and accounts for most of the risk factors traditionally associated with this disease. The role that HPV plays in the induction and progression of cervical neoplasia is becoming clearer; however, the challenge now is to find other factors that may play a role in the outcome of cervical cancer and that might serve as targets for novel treatments.