Human papillomavirus and cancerous diseases of the head and neck: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The increasing incidence of head and neck cancer (HNSCC) highlights the need to better understand the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the development of these cancers. The aims of this study were to conduct a systematic review and a meta-analysis concerning observational studies on the association between HPV infection and HNSCC and to quantify this association, thereby obtaining a reliable estimation of the risk of HPV infection in the development of head and neck cancer. Literature searches were performed using PubMed and Scopus databases. StatsDirect 2.7.8 program was used for the analysis. We found 15 case-control studies, 63 prevalence studies, and no cohort studies. The pooled odds ratio (OR) for all the included case-control studies resulted in a value of 1.63 (95% CI 1.27-2.09; P < 0.0001). The highest pooled OR resulted from the analysis of all the studies that examined HPV 16 genotype in association oral cavity (OR 5.36; 95% CI 1.4-20). The strong evidence of association between HPV infection and HNSCC highlights the importance of the introduction of specific tests in the cancer prevention practices to evaluate the presence of the virus, especially in the oral cavity, and the possibility of an extension of the vaccine anti-HPV in the male population too.

Preparing patients for invasive medical and surgical procedures. 1: Adding behavioral and cognitive interventions.

The authors of three related articles look at various aspects of preparing adult and child patients psychologically for invasive surgical procedures. The first article is a review of the literature in the field, primarily from the last 30 years. Researchers have examined anxiety and coping mechanisms, patient-practitioner relationships, medical phobias, and the effectiveness of different types of psychological intervention. In the second article, the authors offer practical suggestions for implementing preparatory psychological interventions, describing effective communication techniques such as active listening, role plays, imaging, modeling, and progressive relaxation. In the final article in the series, the author considers policy, practice, and educational implications of the use of behavioral and cognitive interventions for patients, medical practitioners, and healthcare planners.