Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Infection

The Delphi method was developed in the United States in the early 1950s and consists of collecting and condensing the existing knowledge of experts, in a dynamic and scientific manner. [...] In the absence of any HPV infection, the risk of cervical cancer among women over 50 is less than 0.5%, even in the absence of screening. [...] According to the sensitivity analysis, the risk of cervical cancer is influenced mostly by the incidence of HPV infection, the proportion of HPV infections that progress directly to a high-grade intraepithelial lesion and finally, by the level of progression of the low-grade lesions. [...] To date, the most viable approach for the surveillance of genital HPV infections is the study of their prevalence and the application of sentinel surveillance programmes (DSTDP-CDC 1999). [...] The results support the importance of the sexual transmission of HPV infection: the prevalence of HPV infection was 0% among the virgins, but increased to 35.4% after they became sexually active.