Prevalence of human papillomavirus in oropharyngeal and nonoropharyngeal head and neck cancersystematic review and meta-analysis of trends by time and region

Background Little information has been reported on regional and time trends of human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence rates of oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) and non-OPC. Methods The study consisted of a systematic review and meta-analysis using random effects logistic regression models. Results Overall HPV prevalence in OPC (47.7%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 42.952.5%) increased significantly over time: from 40.5% (95% CI, 35.146.1) before 2000, to 64.3% (95% CI, 56.771.3) between 2000 and 2004, and 72.2% (95% CI, 52.985.7) between 2005 and 2009 (p < .001). Prevalence increased significantly in North America and Europe, and the significant gap between them that existed before 2000 (50.7% vs 35.3%, respectively, p = .008) has now disappeared (69.7% vs 73.1%, respectively, p = .8). Prevalence in non-OPC (21.8%; 95% CI, 18.925.1%) has not increased over time (p = .97) Conclusions The sharp increase in the proportion of HPV-positive OPC over the last decade has occurred at a faster rate in Europe compared with that in North America. In contrast, the relatively low prevalence of HPV in non-OPC remains unchanged. (c) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2013