Welcome Address

Dear Colleagues,

It is my pleasure to invite you to the 5th European Congress for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology 2010 in Berlin.

Almost 90 years ago Hinselmann presented the method of colposcopy for the first time. Since then strategies of how to prevent, detect and treat cervical cancer changed many times. The last century saw a unique decline of this malignant tumour in Europe as a result of screening programs. Due to an ever improving understanding of the genesis of cervical cancer the intensive debate about the best screening strategy continues and will be for sure one of the main topic during our next meeting. The main topic of our federation is the establishment of a European colposcopy network. We need a consensus of how colposcopy should be practised, documented and standardized in all member states. A consensus needs the input of all members.

Therefore I would like to welcome as many participants as possible in Berlin. Apart from our scientific sessions we will organise an attractive social program. Finally, Berlin itself is worth a travel.

I am looking forward to seeing you in Berlin.

Professor Dr. K. Ulrich Petry
Congress President

Welcome to the EFC meeting, the 5th since EFC was founded in Buenos Aries in 1999. It hardly seems possible that EFC has progressed so much in 11 years but this to due to all of you that much has been achieved.

Our previous meetings in Rhodes, Paris and Belgrade were wonderful occasions and each meeting has built on the success of the former. We are confident that with the increasing support EFC has received from its 32 members countries that this meeting in Berlin will be equally successful and we know that all of you will enjoy not only the wonderful Scientific Programme organised by Ulrich Petry and his team but also the fellowship which you will enjoy by meeting up with so many of your friends from all over Europe and beyond.

The meeting will address and challenge aspects of our work which currently seem to be unchangeable, such as the poor correlation between colposcopy directed biopsies and histology, the changes we can expect to our practice by the introduction of screening by HPV, and also HPV vaccination and its effect on subsequent screening programmes.

The Organising Committee has worked very hard to make this meeting successful and on behalf of EFC and its member countries we give our sincere thanks to Ulrich, Michael Menton and the rest of the Organising Committee.

Have a wonderful congress.

Santiago Dexeus President	Emmanuel Diakomanolis Past President	Joe Jordan First President