Detection of human papillomavirus in sinonasal carcinoma: systematic review and meta-analysis

Since first suggested (in 1983), the etiological role for human papillomavirus (HPV) in sinonasal carcinomas has been subject to constantly increasing interest. To perform systematic review and formal meta-analysis of the literature reporting on HPV detection in sinonasal squamous cell carcinomas (SCC), literature was searched through May 2012. The effect size was calculated as event rates (95% CI), with homogeneity testing using Cochran Q and I(2) statistics. Meta-regression was used to test the impact of study-level covariates (HPV detection method, geographic origin, papilloma type) on effect size, and potential publication bias was estimated using funnel plot symmetry. Thirty-five studies were eligible, covering 492 sinonasal SCCs from different geographic regions. Altogether, 133 (27.0%) cases tested HPV-positive; effect size 0.305 (95% CI, 0.260-0.355; fixed effects model), and 0.330 (95% CI, 0.249-0.423; random effects model. In meta-analysis stratified by (i) HPV detection technique and (ii) geographic study origin, the between-study heterogeneity was significant only for the latter; P = .526, and P = .0001, respectively. In maximum likelihood meta-regression, HPV detection method (P = .511) and geographic origin of the study (P = .812) were not significant study-level covariates. Some evidence for publication bias was found only among polymerase chain reaction-based studies and among studies from Europe and North America but with negligible effect on summary effect size estimates. In sensitivity analysis, all meta-analytic results were robust to all one-by-one study removals. In formal meta-regression, the variability in HPV detection rates reported in sinonasal SCCs was not explained by the HPV detection method or geographic origin of the study.