Detection of human papillomavirus in chronic cervicitis, cervical adenocarcinoma, intraepithelial neoplasia and squamus cell carcinoma.

Background: Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women worldwide. Recent studies show that human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA is present in all cervical carcinomas and in some cervicitis cases, with some geographical variation in viral subtypes. Therefore determination of the presence of HPV in the general population of each region can help reveal the role of these viruses in tumors.