The Presence of Human Papillomavirus and Epstein-Barr Virus Infection in Gastric Cancer: A Systematic Study

Background and Aim: Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common infection-related malignancies world-wide. Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) are among the most important viruses affect-ing many people worldwide. The potential role of these viruses in gastric tissue may explain the possibility of GC, as seen in Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). This study aimed to systematically investigate the presence of HPV and EBV in GC. Methods: According to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, this study is a systematic review based on reported cases. The keywords HPV, EBV and GC, were searched in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, EMBASE and Google scholar databases from 2012 to 2022. Articles were selected and evaluated by five researchers independently. The odds ratio of HPV and EBV viruses in GC was estimated. Data analysis was performed by SPSS (Version 20) software. Results: Sixty studies with 14949 patients were included in the study after obtaining the inclusion criteria. The mean prevalence of HPV and EBV viruses in GC was 10.58% and 8.58%, respectively. The highest prevalence of HPV and EBV were 37.74% and 44.44% in Turkey and Iraq, respectively. The highest odds of HPV and EBV in GC were observed in Asia (17.54%) and Africa (19.02%), respectively. Conclusion: The findings indicate the presence of HPV and EBV in GC in the study areas. However, the present study's results are insufficient for a more accurate conclusion. Therefore, further studies are necessary for the conclusion in this regard.