Established and potential strategies against papillomavirus infections

Anogenital cancers, in particular cancer of the cervix, and common, genital and laryngeal warts are primarily caused by infection with human papillomaviruses. Traditionally, the primary goal of treatment is to remove the neoplasia by various surgical approaches; however, all of these have high rates of recurrence. Only a few non-surgical treatments have found their way into clinical practice, and none of them is generally recommended because of side effects, limited efficacy and recurrences. This article summarizes the research on pharmaceutical and immunological approaches that may find a place in clinical practice to complement or replace surgical treatments.