Cervical cancer has definitely been demonstrated to be caused by high-risk Human Papillomavirus (hrHPV), and the biomolecular identification of HPV infection has dramatically changed the perspective of preventive strategies worldwide. Thirteen hrHPV types have been genotyped, of which HPVs 16 and 18 are the most frequently correlated with invasive cervical cancer, being identified in almost 90% of the cases; this causal relationship has strongly stimulated the introduction of hrHPV DNA testing in several clinical settings: primary screening, triage of cytological abnormalities, and after conservative treatment as a test of cure. The present years are characterized by a worldwide scientific debate, supported by the results of recent population-based studies that highlighted the need of a shift from cytological to molecular strategies of screening and prevention of cervical cancer. In this view, several innovative biomarkers have been investigated and encouraging results promise to open a new scenario in the near future.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Biomarkers of hrHPV oncogenes transformation activity
• Cytology-improving biomarkers
• Cytology-hrHPV testing synergies in clinical practice
• hrHPV genotyping in clinical practice
• Epigenetics of cervical cancer
• Immunology of HPV-related cervical preneoplastic and neoplastic disease
• The future of colposcopy
• Management of CIN lesions