Is human papillomavirus and p16 expression associated with survival outcomes in nasopharyngeal cancer?: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Publication date: Available online 11 July 2018

Source: American Journal of Otolaryngology

Author(s): Tristan Tham, Sushma Teegala, Yonatan Bardash, Saori Wendy Herman, Peter Costantino

Abstract

Introduction

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a known prognostic indicator in oropharyngeal cancer. Not much is known about the prognostic role of HPV in Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC). Here, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature to investigate if HPV status was a prognostic factor for NPC.

Methods

PubMed (via the web), Embase, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library were searched. A systematic review and meta-analysis was done to generate the pooled Hazard Ratios (HR) for Overall Survival (OS).

Results

A total of 7 studies from 2014 to 2018, reporting data on 2646 patients (range 43–1328) were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled data showed that HPV/p16 status was not associated with OS in NPC with HR of 0.77 (95% CI: 0.55–1.09, p = 0.14). The test for heterogeneity showed little to no heterogeneity of results (I² = 4%, p = 0.38). Subgroup analysis showed that in large sample sizes, HPV was significantly associated with survival.

Conclusion

Despite the finding in the pooled HR, we could not draw a definitive conclusion as to the prognostic significance of HPV in NPC. Recommendations for future research are given.

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