Guidelines

Guidelines of the Italian Society for Virology on HPV testing and vaccination for cervical cancer prevention

Luisa Barzon¹ , Colomba Giorgi² , Franco M Buonaguro³ and Giorgio Palù¹ for the Italian Society for Virology

¹  Department of Histology, Microbiology, and Medical Biotechnologies, University of Padova, 35121 Padova, Italy

²  Department of Infectious, Parasitic, and Immunomediated Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Roma, Italy

³  Viral Oncology and AIDS Reference Centre, National Cancer Institute, "Fondazione Pascale", Cappella Cangiani, 80131 Napoli, Italy

author email corresponding author email

Infectious Agents and Cancer 2008, 3:14doi:10.1186/1750-9378-3-14

Published:	16 December 2008

Abstract

Objective

To provide guidelines for health-care providers on strategies for cervical cancer prevention based on HPV testing and anti-HPV vaccination.

Outcomes

Overall efficacy of different preventive strategies, assessing reduction in the incidence of invasive cervical cancer and precancerous lesions.

Evidence

Medline and the Cochrane Database were searched for articles in English on subjects related to HPVs, HPV diagnosis, HPV anogenital lesions, cervical cancer, HPV testing, and HPV vaccines, in order to elaborate an up-dated document. Relevant Italian Government publications and position papers from appropriate health and family planning organizations were also reviewed.

Values

The quality of the evidence and ranking of recommendations for practice were rated using criteria defined by SIV, which were adapted from the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care.