Prognostic significance of HPV and p16 status in men diagnosed with penile cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

It has been shown that human papillomavirus (HPV) and p16 status has prognostic value in some HPV-associated cancers. However, studies examining survival in men with penile cancer according to HPV or p16 status are often inconclusive, mainly because of small study populations. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine the association between HPV DNA and p16 status and survival in men diagnosed with penile cancer. Multiple electronic databases were searched. Twenty studies were ultimately included and study-specific and pooled HRs of overall survival and disease-specific survival (DSS) were calculated using a fixed effects model. In the analysis of DSS, we included 649 men with penile cancer tested for HPV (27% were HPV-positive) and 404 men tested for p16 expression (47% were p16-positive). The pooled HRHPV of DSS was 0.61 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.38-0.98], and the pooled HRp16 of DSS was 0.45 (95% CI, 0.30-0.69). In conclusion, men with HPV or p16-positive penile cancer have a significantly more favorable DSS compared with men with HPV or p16-negative penile cancer. These findings point to the possible clinical value of HPV and p16 testing when planning the most optimal management and follow-up strategy.