Questioning the value of margin status in treated cervical precancer

Cervical carcinoma is the third most common cancer in women worldwide, with more than 500 000 diagnoses and 250 000 deaths annually.1 Persistent infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) can lead to high-grade neoplastic changes (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia [CIN]) that, if untreated, can progress to invasive disease within 10–15 years.2 Knowledge of cervical cancer pathogenesis and the natural history of its precursor lesion (CIN grade 3 [CIN3]) together with a suitable test (the Papanicolaou smear) and excisional treatments, has led to the implementation of successful screening programmes in many countries.