The humoral immune response against the transforming proteins E6 and E7 of human papillomavirus type 16 in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix : clinical assessment of the diagnostic and prognostic value: Clinical assessment of the diagnostic and prognostic value

textabstractIncidence: Cervical cancer is onc of the most common cancers worldwide and is responsible for 12% of all cancers in women, which equals to 437,000 new cases in 1985. In developing countries cervical carcinoma is the most frequent malignancyin females. In the developed world it accounts for 6% of all cancers in females"', with approximately 750 new Cases and 275 deaths yearly in the Netherlands. Histology of the normal cervix The cervix comprises two distinct parts; the ectocervix, which is covered by stratified 0011- keratinizing squamous epithelium. and the endocervix, covered by mucin-secreting columnar epithelium. The transition area of these two epithelia is situated at the level of the external os and is a zone of metaplastic squamous epithelium, which is referred to as the transformation zone. The border between the metaplastic epithelium and the glandular epithelium is termed the neosquamocolumnar junction. \\Vith increasing age, the glandular epithelium is pushed back into the endocervical canal by the squamous ectocervical epithelium. Almost all cervical squamous neoplasia begin at the transformation zone