Association between Human Papillomavirus and Epstein-Barr Virus Infections and Cancer of the Uterine Cervix.

Cervical cancer screening was revolutionized in the early 1980s with the discovery of human papillomaviruses (HPVs) as the single causative agent of the disease. Viral infections contribute to ~12% of cancers worldwide, and two DNA viruses, Epstein-Barr virus and HPV, are associated with 38% of all virus-associated cancers. Most viral-associated cancers develop after a long latency period (15-40 yr).