Few human cancers are as well understood as cancer of the uterine cervix. When Harald zur Hausen received the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in honour of his research on the causal role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the genesis of this tumour, the natural history of cervical cancer seemed to be deciphered, apart from small pieces of the puzzle. As a result, cervical cancer research shifted towards next-generation vaccines, therapies, and best screening strategies, and basic researchers...