Therapy of human papillomavirus infection and associated epithelial tumors.

Papillomavirus infections are very common and cause various benign and malignant lesions, most notably condyloma acuminatum, anogenital cancer, laryngeal papilloma and skin warts. Unfortunately, effective therapy is currently not available. Therapeutic options are limited, expensive and often ineffective. They comprise cytodestructive and cytotoxic substances, surgical methods, laser and cryotherapy. Immunotherapy seems to be one of the more promising options. Interferons combined with ablative methods such as CO2 laser can prevent recurrence of disease. Cytokine enhancement is an old concept that has shown effectiveness with imidazoquinolinamine derivatives (imiquimod). Imiquimod was released recently for therapy of genital warts. Currently, HPV vaccines are being developed to protect against infection with HPV and to treat existing warts and other HPV-associated lesions. Some processes in the HPV infection cycle have been determined as possible targets for the development of specific antiviral agents. Cidofovir is a primordial antiviral substance active against HPV. Unfortunately, there is a potential risk for side effects.