Certain human papillomavirus (HPV) are currently recognized as viral carcinogenic agent involved with cancer development, where women cervical cancer is the prototype of HPV-induced malignancy. Other carcinomas as occur in penis, vulva, vagina, and head and neck location are also related to the persistent HPV infection, but different degrees of association if compared with cervical cancer. A plethora of novelties in the HPV setting have emerged, recently. One of the most exciting topics was the introduction of HPV vaccines principally tailored to two of the most important carcinogenic HPV: HPV16 and HPV18. The vaccines have encouraged many public health authorities to implement primary prevention in order to minimize to cervical cancer burden. HPV6 and HPV11, also included in one of the vaccines currently available, also target benign proliferative lesions from genital and respiratory tracts.

Additionally, new technologies to optimize cytological and molecular screening have been implemented in many countries in the last decade, which demonstrated a significant improvement in high grade lesions detection.

We invite investigators to contribute original research articles as well as review articles that will stimulate the continuing efforts to understand the molecular pathways underlying HPV biology and cancer development, the development of strategies to prevent and treat these conditions, and also the evaluation of outcomes. We are particularly interested in articles describing the new modalities for basic and clinical characterization of HPV biology and measuring outcomes from treatment trials, advances in molecular genetics and molecular diagnostics, advances in immunology related to HPV infection, potential usefulness of specific target therapies to HPV-induced lesions, new insights into HPV epidemiologic distribution worldwide, animal models, the relationship between HPV-infected cells and microenvironment, molecular markers, strategies of HPV-induced lesions in low income countries/regions, and HPV and head and neck cancer. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Recent developments in HPV basic research
• Advances in the studies of microenvironment influences for HPV infection
• Latest technologies for clinical and pathological evaluation and measuring outcomes
• Role of inflammation in HPV infection
• Disease molecular mechanism and potential targets to blocking HPV-induced lesion development
• Role of molecular tests in screening routine
• Recent advances in automation for cytological screening
• Recent advances in therapeutics
• Role of HPV in head and neck cancer
• HPV and other cancers

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