PRELIMINARY PROGRAM
SUNDAY,
MARCH
16
SCIENTIFIC SESSIONS 8.30 • 10.00 STRUCTURAL AND SOCIAL FACTORS THAT IMPACT HPV DRIVEN CANCERS CHAIR: M. Muchengeti (South Africa) • C. Haas (US) Structural factors, including disparities in access to healthcare, lack of vaccination programs, and limited access to screening programs, create barriers to early detection and prevention of HPV-driven cancers, particularly in low-income and marginalized communities. Social determinants, such as education, income, and cultural norms, also contribute to the prevalence of high-risk HPV infections and cancer development. Rural populations often have poor access to timely cancer care and often travel long distances to receive care. Due to historical factors, race is often linked to socioeconomic status, risks for acquiring HIV and/or HPV and access to cancer care. Additionally, social stigma and unequal access to sexual health resources can further limit prevention efforts. These inequities often result in delayed diagnosis and worse cancer outcomes, disproportionately affecting marginalized populations. Addressing both structural and social determinants is critical to reducing the burden of HPV-related cancers and improving public health outcomes.
8.30 • 10.00 HPV-TEST VALIDATION ON CLINICIAN TAKEN CERVICAL SAMPLES CHAIR: M. Arbyn (Belgium) • M. Poljak (Slovenia) Only clinically validated HPV assays should be used in primary cervical screening. Validation and regulatory requirements vary among countries. Whereas original Meijer guidelines published in 2009 were pivotal in defining the minimal requirements that HPV tests targeting 13-14 high-risk had to fulfill in order to accept them in screening of clinician samples, they need updates in several aspects. Additionally, extended principles and concepts are needed to validate HPV tests targeting a limited number of HPV tests, for point-of-care HPV tests and for testing self-collected specimens. An internationally acceptable framework for HPV test validation like VALGENT and VALHUDES as well as recently launched WHO target product profile document for HPV tests contribute toward goal of having more affordable and accurate clinically validated HPV tests.
8.30 • 10.00 UPDATE ON ANOGENITAL CARCINOGENESIS CHAIR: S. Regauer (Austria) • O. Reich (Austria) Squamous cell carcinogenesis in the anogenital region shares two common pathways. The most recent WHO classification of tumors separates squamous cancers of vulva, cervix, penis, anus into two etiologic groups. They arise either after infection with human papillomavirus as so-called HPV-associated squamous cell cancers or independent of HPV as so-called HPV-independent squamous cell cancers. The majority of squamous cell cancers of cervix and anus are HPV associated. Squamous cell cancers of vulva and penis, however, arise in about 50% independent of HPV in association with the lichenoid dermatoses lichen planus and lichen sclerosus. This session provides an update on the role of reserve cells in the development of cervical precancers / SCC, and an overview on the natural history of anal precancers. It focuses on the precursor lesions of vulvar SCC with special emphasis on HPV independent precursors and provides an update / recent advances in the understanding of penile carcinogenesis. -1 -