Papillomavirus and treatment

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are small DNA viruses responsible for a broad range of clinical presentations, characterized histologically by the proliferation of epithelial cells. HPVs are responsible for benign as well as malignant lesions, the most frequent of the latter being cervical carcinoma. A better knowledge of the immunobiology of these lesions allowed the development of prophylactic vaccines (for the most frequent genital types) that are presently under evaluation. The present paper describes different approaches for the treatment of HPV lesions, still mostly based on surgery, and underlines the importance of developing adjuvant therapies.