Pathology of human papillomavirus in the female genital tract.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) has emerged as a major factor in the genesis of intraepithelial and invasive neoplasms of the female genital tract. The strength of the relationship of HPV to genital neoplasia has been supported by studies involving epidemiologic, clinical, pathologic and molecular data. The many subtypes of HPV have been characterized into risk groups that reflect their propensity to be associated with cancer precursors and invasive disease. The strong correlation between HPV and squamous dysplasia suggests that classification of cervical intraepithelial lesions into similar risk categories should be possible. However, the clinical predictive value of HPV testing and typing remains controversial.