[The pathology of cervical cancer - molecular tests]

Cervical cancer is the 4th in incidence and mortality rate among women worldwide. Histologically the majority of cervical cancers are squamous cell carcinomas, with a minor proportion of adenocarcinomas. Cervical carcinogenesis can be followed through different steps of precancerous lesions, previously named dysplasias (mild, moderate and severe), by recently used terminology of the Bethesda classification as LSIL (low-grade squamous epithelial lesion) and HSIL (high-grade squamous epithelial lesion) before progression to invasive cancer by cytological screening together and controlled by histology. Introduction of several newly developed viral and cellular molecular biomarkers are extendedly applied as diagnostic tests for detection of human papillomavirus (HPV) and other markers as signs of cellular transformation, which increased both the sensitivity and specificity of the testing. Cytology, histology, HPV detection in combination with novel molecular tests are incorporated into the modern screening and diagnostic guidelines in several countries which is strongly suggested in Hungary too.