CoheaHr

Cervical Cancer Prevention

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You are here: Home / Background / Human Papillomavirus

Human Papillomavirus

Cervical cancer is caused by persistent infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV). In 2008, Harald zur Hausen, a German virologist, won the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for establishing the link between high-risk genital HPV infection and cervical cancer. Among the fifteen identified high-risk HPV types, HPV16 and HPV18, are associated with about 70% of cervical cancers . The remaining 30% are caused by other high-risk HPV types. HPV transmission is mainly by sexual contact and hence many women become infected within a few years after sexual debut. Accordingly, the main risk factors for HPV infection are defined by sexual (risk) behavior, including life time number of sexual partners and the acquisition of new male partners. HPV prevalence is also high among persons with an immune disorder, such as HIV. Up to 80% of women will at some point in their life have an HPV infection. The majority of infections clears spontaneously and only 5 to 10 percent becomes persistent. These persistent infections may progress to cancer which takes at least 12 years.

Figure: Natural history of cervical cancer
natural history

Background

  • Comparative Effectiveness Research
  • Human Papillomavirus
  • Cervical cancer
  • Screening
  • Vaccination

News

  • Eurogin 2017 January 5, 2018
  • Videotaped lectures of the Helsinki HPV Workshops (2012 and 2016) online November 1, 2016
  • New publication: HPV FASTER concept September 15, 2015
  • CoheaHr consortium well represented at the International Papillomavirus Conference in Lisbon September 15, 2015
  • Media coverage of a recent publication June 26, 2015

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no FP7-F3-2013-603019.

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