Objective: To estimate the prevalence and attribution of two non-vaccine-covered HPV types (HPV52 and HPV58) across the world.
Methods: Meta-analysis on studies reported in English and Chinese between 1994 and 2012.
Results: The pooled prevalence and attribution rates of HPV52 and HPV58 in invasive cervical cancers were significantly higher in Eastern Asia compared to other regions (HPV52 prevalence: 5.7% vs. 1.8-3.6%, P<0.001; HPV52 attribution: 3.7% vs. 0.2-2.0%; HPV58 prevalence: 9.8% vs. 1.1-2.5%, P<0.001; HPV58 attribution: 6.4% vs. 0.7-2.2%, P<0.001). Oceania has an insufficient number of studies to ascertain the prevalence of HPV52. Within Eastern Asia, the attribution of HPV58 to invasive cervical cancer was 1.8-fold higher than that of HPV52. Similarly, HPV52 and HPV58 shared a higher prevalence and attribution among cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in Eastern Asia. In contrast to the classical high-risk type, HPV16, the prevalence and attribution of HPV52 and HPV58 decreased with increasing lesion severity. Thus, HPV52 and HPV58 behave as an "intermediate-risk" type.
Conclusion: The attribution of HPV52 and HPV58 to cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and invasive cancer in Eastern Asia were respectively 2.5-2.8 and 3.7-4.9 folds higher than elsewhere. Changes in the attributed disease fraction can serve as a surrogate marker for cross-protection or type replacement following widespread use of HPV16/18-based vaccines. This unique epidemiology should be considered when designing HPV screening assays and vaccines for Eastern Asia.