Population-based case-control study of association of nasopharynx cancer with previous human papillomavirus infection

A population-based case-control study in Taiwan examined the association between nasopharynx cancer (NPC) and previous human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. The study included 2747 individuals aged 20 years or older with NPC as cases and 13,735 propensity score-matched controls. Previous HPV-infections were found for 12.7% of the cases versus 7.2% of the controls (p<0.001). The adjusted odds ratio for HPV infections was significantly higher for cases versus controls (1.869; 95% CI 1.640-2.128). The association was seen both among males and among females.