Association of Human Papillomavirus Infection with Tonsillar Cancers: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Virology
• Public Health

Background:

• HPV vaccination decreased cervical cancer but oropharyngeal cancers, including tonsillar cancer, are increasing.
• Preventive tonsillectomy is suggested to reduce HPV-related oropharyngeal and tonsillar cancers.
• Global evidence supporting preventive tonsillectomy for HPV-related tonsillar cancer is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate the pooled prevalence of tonsillar cancer associated with oropharyngeal HPV infection.
• To assess the burden of tonsillar carcinomas due to oropharyngeal HPV infection.
• To evaluate the potential role of preventive tonsillectomy.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review and meta-analysis of published articles.
• Searched PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science databases.
• Used a random-effects model to estimate pooled prevalence.

Main Results:

• 50% of reported tonsillar cancer cases were associated with oropharyngeal HPV infection.
• Significant heterogeneity was observed across the included studies.
• Insufficient data precluded subgroup analysis.

Conclusions:

• The 50% prevalence of HPV in tonsillar cancer raises questions about the preventive benefit of tonsillectomy.
• Further research is needed to clarify the correlation between HPV infection and tonsillar cancer.
• More representative studies are required to validate findings and inform clinical strategies.