The role of human papillomavirus in the genesis of cervical cancer

The last 15 years has seen the association between human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer emerge as not only one of the major issues in gynecologic cancer research but also an important model for studying events in human cancer in a more general sense. This association, which began with colposcopic and histologic observations, was rapidly strengthened by the great strides that have been made during this period in molecular biology. DNA/DNA hybridization identified HPV-16 as being the principal type seen in high-grade precancer and invasive cancer. By the mid 1980s, many researchers believed that the link between HPV and cervical cancer was sufficiently strong to ascribe an etiologic role to the virus. Others found the data persuasive but saw that corroborative evidence was lacking, and therefore regarded the case as essentially circumstantial.