Prevalence of human papillomavirus in oral cancer in Asia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: To determine the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) across Asian countries, focusing on South and Southeast Asia. Methods: A systematic search of four databases—MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and ProQuest—was conducted to identify observational studies published between January 2013 and December 2023. The pooled prevalence of HPV was estimated using random-effects models, and subgroup analysis was performed to investigate the source of heterogeneity. Results: A total of 77 studies were included, comprising 7289 OSCC cases from 11 countries. The pooled HPV prevalence in OSCC was 23.1% (95% CI 17.9–28.7, I² = 96.7%). South Asia had the highest prevalence (27.1%), followed by East Asia (19.4%), and Southeast Asia (16.7%). Two subtypes were commonly reported: HPV-16 (9.1%) and HPV-18 (5.1%). Anatomical subsites, buccal mucosa (34.0%), and floor of the mouth (33.2%) had similar ranges of HPV prevalence. All studies exhibited a high degree of heterogeneity, with the OSCC location and risk of bias identified as potential sources of heterogeneity. Conclusions: Due to the high HPV prevalence in OSCC in Asia, HPV detection in routine pathology practice is recommended. Future studies should be conducted in multicentre settings using similar HPV detection methods and reporting detailed demographic and clinical information on oral sub-sites.