HPV in breast cancer: prevalence and comparison with healthy tissue-a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Authors

Pedro Henrique de Souza Wagner, Gustavo Tadeu Freitas Uchôa Matheus, Brenda Luana Rocha Soares Menegat, Ana Luíza Rocha Soares Menegat, Danilo Monteiro Ribeiro, Francisco Cezar Aquino de Moraes

Published in

Cancer causes & control : CCC. Volume 37. Issue 7. Jun 25, 2026. Epub Jun 25, 2026.

Abstract

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer among women worldwide, with over 2.3 million new cases annually. Recent studies suggest that Human Papillomavirus (HPV), a known oncogenic virus, may be involved in BC development. This study investigates HPV prevalence in BC samples and its potential role in tumorigenesis.
Random-effects meta-analyses were conducted to estimate raw proportions and odds ratio (OR), with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Heterogeneity was assessed using I². Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Analyses were performed in R 4.5.0 RESULTS: Our meta-analysis encompassed 82 studies and evaluated 7,683 breast cancer (BC) tissue samples to assess the presence of HPV. The overall prevalence of HPV in BC specimens was estimated at 23% (95%CI: 19%-28%). When stratified by continent, Oceania exhibited the highest regional prevalence at 38%. Comparative analysis between BC tissues and healthy controls revealed a significantly increased likelihood of HPV detection in the cancer group (OR 5.06; P < 0.001). This association remained statistically robust in both case-control (OR 6.34; P < 0.001) and cross-sectional designs (OR 2.83; P < 0.001). Among continents, South America demonstrated the most pronounced association (OR 11.66; P = 0.005). Subgroup analysis based on economic classification indicated that countries with low-income settings had the highest HPV prevalence (34%; 95%CI: 9%-73%). Evaluation by BC subtype revealed that luminal B had the highest HPV-positive rate (44%; 95%CI: 27%-61%).
This meta-analysis reveals a global presence of HPV in BC and suggests a possible link. Further well-designed studies are needed to confirm its role in tumorigenesis.

PMID:
42348000
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 25 Jun 2026.

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