Modern methods for the diagnosis of HPV and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in the prevention of cervical cancer

Cervical cancer is still the most common malignant disease in women in many parts of the third world, associated with a high mortality. No other human cancer is so well understood and offers so many ways of sufficient prevention as cervical cancer. In contrast to most other malignant diseases, the genesis of cervical cancer is essentially linked to just one major cause - infection with human papillomavirus (HPV). Knowledge about the genesis of cervical cancer exploded during the last two decades and resulted in a new concept of primary prevention of cervical cancer using HPV vaccination and to improve current secondary prevention programmes with HPV testing. As usual, new concepts raise new ques-tions. This book summarizes the current knowledge about screening for cervical cancer and the state of the management of atypical screening results in greater details. The authors are well known experts in their fields, who were directly involved in basic and clinical research on all aspects around HPV and cervical cancer prevention for many years. Their contributions about the role of HPV in the genesis of cervical cancer, new chances in primary and secondary prevention and management of atypical screening results should help physicians and other health professionals with an interest in cervical cancer prevention to understand the current level of evidence and to transform it into better clinical practice.