title: Towards the eradication of HPV infection through universal specific vaccination.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is generally recognized to be the direct cause of cervical cancer. The development of effective anti-HPV vaccines, included in the portfolio of recommended vaccinations for any given community, led to the consolidation in many countries of immunization programs to prevent HPV-related cervical cancers. In recent years, increasing evidence in epidemiology and molecular biology have supported the oncogenic role of HPV in the development of other neoplasm including condylomas and penile, anal, vulvar, vaginal, and oro-pharyngeal cancers. Men play a key role in the paradigm of HPV infection: both as patients and as part of the mechanisms of transmission. Data show they are affected almost as often as women. Moreover, no screening procedures for HPV-related disease prevention are applied in men, who fail to undergo routine medical testing by any medical specialist at all. They also do not benefit from government prevention strategies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A panel of experts convened to focus on scientific, medical, and economic studies, and on the achievements from health organizations' intervention programs on the matter. One of the goals was to discuss on the critical issues emerging from the ongoing global implementation of HPV vaccination. A second goal was to identify contributions which could overcome the barriers that impede or delay effective vaccination programs whose purpose is to eradicate the HPV infection both in women and men.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The reviewed studies on the natural history of HPV infection and related diseases in women and men, the increasing experience of HPV vaccination in women, the analysis of clinical effectiveness vs economic efficacy of HPV vaccination, are even more supportive of the economic sustainability of vaccination programs both in women and men. Those achievements address increasing and needed attention to the issue of social equity in healthcare for both genders.
authors.forename: Piergiorgio
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Crosignani
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Stefani
authors.forename: Gaetano Maria
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Fara
authors.forename: Andrea M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Isidori
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lenzi
authors.forename: Carlo Antonio
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Liverani
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lombardi
authors.forename: Francesco Saverio
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Mennini
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Palu'
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pecorelli
authors.forename: Andrea P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Peracino
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Signorelli
authors.forename: Gian Vincenzo
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Zuccotti
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D060740:Disease Eradication / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs; D008297:Male; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D053918:Papillomavirus Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D053918:Papillomavirus Vaccines