Human papillomavirus research in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries - current evidence, genotypes, and priority...

Human Papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cervical cancer is an emerging public health priority. This review summarizes HPV-related research conducted across GCC countries and identifies key gaps in the current research landscape. Studies were grouped into six broad descriptive research domains to show where evidence is concentrated or sparse. Nearly, half of 106 HPV-related studies were conducted in Saudi Arabia (47.2%), while approximately one-fifth were from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) (18.9%). Studies on epidemiology/molecular characterization of HPV were dominant (38.5%), followed by studies on barriers to vaccine uptake and screening (28.1%). Among 37 HPV-genotyping-related studies, 43 genotypes were reported (23 low-risk and 20 high-risk). Genotypes with the highest crude sample-level detection proportion were HPV-27 (23.6%), HPV-57 (13.9%), and HPV-1 (11.1%). These genotypes reflect wart-related and cutaneous-sample studies. Among the high-risk genotypes for cervical cancer, HPV-67 (3.8%) and HPV-66 (3.6%) were the most common. HPV-related research in GCC countries remains predominantly descriptive, unevenly distributed, and with gaps in implementation research and high-risk populations.