Cervical cancer is a major neoplastic cause of death among women. World-wide it is second only to breast cancer. There has for some years been strong epidemiological evidence linking cervical cancer to some sexually transmitted infective agent, presumably a virus. The development of better techniques for seeking latent viruses has recently implicated certain special types of human papilloma virus (HPV16 and HPV18) as likely causative agents in a large proportion of all cases of cervical cancer. If HPV16 and HPV18, together with various cofactors and perhaps together with some other type(s) of HPV are indeed important causes of nearly all cases of this disease, then practicable means of prevention or, at least, of automated screening should be possible. A conference on this topic, as proposed, would seem timely and useful in bringing together epidemiologists and virologists for assessing: how important such viruses may be to human cancer as well as how this chain of events might be interrupted; the pattern of transmission in various cultures; what the risks of active infection are for women (and men) exposed to such agents; and what, if any, other important determinants of cancer risk exist for chronically infected individuals. While the small meeting size is especially conducive to such exchanges, broader dissemination is to be achieved through publication of these proceedings, including formal presentations together with transcribed discussion sessions. This volume will appear as part of the ongoing Banbury Report series and should be available within eight months of the meeting date.
