Virus Stopper: Vaccine could prevent most cervical cancers

Throughout much of the 20th century, scientists suspected that sexually transmitted infections cause cancer of the cervix. But the culprit remained hidden until 2 decades ago, when scientists isolated human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA from cervical tumors.

That discovery is now paying dividends. In the Nov. 21 New England Journal of Medicine, a team of U.S.