Occupational human papillomavirus exposure risks for laryngeal surgeons and phoniatricians: A joint European Laryngological Society (ELS) and Union of European Phoniatricians (UEP) Delphi clinical consensus statement.

Authors

Shiying Hey, Alberto Maria Saibene, Milan Amin, Jennifer Anderson, Christoph Arens, Simon Best, Guillermo Campos, Craig Derkay, Gauthier Desuter, Frederik G Dikkers, Isabel Garcia-Lopez, Ahmed Geneid, Anastasios Hantzakos, Markus Hess, Yakubu Karagama, Marina Mat Baki, Nupur Kapoor Nerurkar, Daniel Novakovic, Haldun Oguz, Shazia Peer, Jasmine Prasad, Carlo Robotti, David Vokes, Chi-Te Wang, Małgorzata Wierzbicka, Michal Zabrodsky, Nicolien van der Poel

Published in

European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. Jul 19, 2026. Epub Jul 19, 2026.

Abstract

Laser surgical management of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related disease, such as recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP), in the upper aerodigestive tract generates surgical smoke, which may represent a source of occupational viral exposure for laryngeal surgeons, phoniatricians, anesthesia providers and scrub nurses. Despite growing awareness, protective measures remain inconsistently implemented. This study aimed to develop an evidence-informed clinical consensus statement (CCS) to guide occupational HPV risk management in laryngology.
A modified Delphi consensus process was conducted under the auspices of the European Laryngological Society (ELS) and the Union of the European Phoniatricians (UEP). A panel of 26 international experts undertook three rounds of voting on 18 statements across five domains: definitions and risk perception, personal protective measures, smoke evacuation and ventilation, preventive vaccination, and areas for further research.
All panellists completed all three rounds. Of the 18 statements, one reached strong consensus, seven reached consensus, one reached near consensus and six did not reach consensus. Three statements were merged across rounds. Key areas of consensus included the recognition of surgical smoke as a potential occupational HPV exposure risk, the inadequacy of standard surgical masks, the importance of offering HPV vaccination to healthcare workers with potential occupational exposure, alongside areas for further research.
This joint ELS and UEP CCS represents the first internationally coordinated effort to address occupational HPV exposure in laryngology. While consensus was reached in several key areas, the findings underscore the need for targeted research and greater consistency in protective measures, educational provision and regulatory frameworks.

PMID:
42472955
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 20 Jul 2026.

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