Screening for HPV-associated neoplasia is not only cervical screening. Modern approaches to anal cancer screening

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a fairly common infection that causes about 4–5% of cancer cases of various localizations in the world. Association of HPV with cervical cancer (СС), oropharyngeal cancer, anal cancer (AC), cancer of the vulva, vagina, and penis was determined. Changes in the structure of the prevalence of HPV-associated cancer types encourages research to develop effective prevention strategies similar to cervical screening for other localizations.This article is an analysis of current literature data on the study of the prevalence, etiopathogenesis, and risk factors of AC, as well as current approaches to its screening. According to the scientific researches, AC is associated with significant mortality rates, and its incidence is constantly increasing, almost doubling over the past 25 years. The incidence rate is higher among women.As in the case of CC, 90% of AC cases are associated with highly oncogenic high-risk HPV strains. The pathogenesis of these pathologies also has many common features: the development of AC is preceded by a number of precancerous conditions. The process of progression from infection and mild intraepithelial neoplasia to severe form, as a rule, requires a long time. All this makes it possible to prevent AC by diagnosis of precancerous conditions.The effectiveness of the Pap test and genotyping of high risk HPV types for the detection of anal intraepithelial neoplasia has been demonstrated by a number of studies. A significant impetus for the development of consensus guidelines for AC screening was provided by the results of the multicenter randomized prospective ANCHOR study, which demonstrated the effectiveness of treating severe anal intraepithelial lesions for the prevention of AC in individuals with human immunodeficiency virus.This review presents the main provisions of the International Society of Anal Neoplasia consensus guidelines for the prevention of AC. The publication of these recommendations by the International Society of Anal Neoplasia in 2024 is a significant event for the prevention of AC in high-risk groups. For high-risk groups, which mainly include women, the factor of shared decision-making is important.