The development of the first vaccine for the prevention of cancer came 30 years after Harald Zur Hausen first hypothesized that the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) might be associated with cervical cancer. In those 30 years, much progress has been made in the diagnosis, treatment and now prevention of cervical cancer. In a special issue of "Disease Markers" twelve articles explore the epidemiology of HPV, testing strategies for HPV infections, new HPV detection methods and other potential biomarkers that might prove useful in cervical cancer diagnosis. Further articles address the emerging research on new biomarkers for cervical cancer screening that appear to help to overcome several of the important limitations of the current cancer early detection strategies.