Human Pathogenic Papillomaviruses

The etiologic involvement of specific human papillomavirus (HPV) types in cancer of the cervix and their role in a substantial proportion of other anogenital cancers and cancers of the oropharynx (most prominently of the tonsils and of the larynx) label HPV as a prime target for the analysis of mechanisms leading to the development of malignant tumors in humans.As in other viral infections linked to human cancers, HPV infection is not sufficient for the induction of malignant growth. It emerges, however, as the main factor, introducing new genes into the latently infected cells whose function as oncogenes has become clearly established during the past few years.This volume summarizes various aspects of HPV research and its relationship to human cancers and tries to provide an overview of current topics is an exciting research field.