Linking Human Papillomaviruses to Cervical Cancer: A Long and Winding Road
Lutz Gissmann
from: Papillomavirus Research: From Natural History To Vaccines and Beyond (Edited by: M. Saveria Campo). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2006)
Abstract
Epidemiologic studies suggesting an infectious etiology of cervical cancer have prompted scientist from different areas to search for the responsible agent. The human papillomaviruses (HPV) came into the play as members of a family of animal tumor viruses and because of their known association with genital infections. A long chain of events ranging from the identification of the plurality of HPVs, the regular finding of genomes of certain types, so called high-risk, within tumor biopsies, insights into the transforming mechanism and informative epidemiological surveys finally led to the consensus view within the scientific community of a causative link between these viruses and cervical cancer. This awareness triggered the development of HPV-specific vaccines as means of cancer prevention read more ...
