What other factors than HPV affect the development of servere cervical dysplasia?
It is a well established scientific fact that HPV is a necessary factor for development of severe cervical dysplasia which may lead to cervical cancer. However, HPV in itself is not a sufficient factor for development of severe cervical dysplasia, i.e. the presence of HPV in the cervix does not imply that women will develop severe cervical dysplasia. This simple fact gives an absolute limitation for the clinical relevance of HPV DNA tests. PreTect HPV-Proofer, however, does not detect HPV virions, but the expression of the carcinogenic E6/E7 proteins. More than 1200 international publications document that the production of the oncogenes E6/E7 is necessary for development of severe cervical dysplasia (e.g. Harald zur Hausen, Nature May 2002, vol 2, 342-350). HPV infections not producing E6/E7 oncoproteins will not develop to cervical cancer. However, the literature is now indicating that in addition to being a necessary factor, the E6/E7 oncoproteins can also be a sufficient factor for
