Highlights of the 27th International Papillomavirus Conference and Clinical Workshop (Berlin, 17-22 September 2011) - Part 2: Applied Clinical Science

The 27th International Papillomavirus Conference and Clinical Workshop, held in Berlin (17-22 September 2011), brought together more than 2000 scientists, clinicians and public health experts who shared new findings in the knowledge of the HPV and the prevention and treatment of HPV-related disease. In this second of three reports of the conference, the applied clinical science sessions are summarized, which focused on immunology, new HPV tests, benign HPV infections, noncervical HPV-related disease, primary and secondary prevention of cervical cancer by HPV-based screening and prophylactic HPV vaccination and treatment of HPV-induced disease. The clinical workshops discussed possible alternative schedules of prophylactic HPV vaccination, prevention of anal cancer and anal precancer, validation of HPV genotyping assays, establishment of standards and laboratory proficiency in testing for HPV DNA and anti-HPV antibodies through the WHO LabNet, and currently heavily debated questions on the role of colposcopy in the assessment of cervical cancer precursors.