Role of Artificial Intelligence in Human Papillomavirus Status Prediction for Oropharyngeal Cancer: A Scoping Review.

Simple Summary: This review elucidates the manner in which artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the diagnosis and staging of squamous cell carcinomas of the oropharynx (OPSCC). The review examines the potential utilization of AI in discerning the status of human papillomavirus (HPV) in OPSCCs. AI is primarily employed in the analysis of imaging data and the interpretation of histological specimens. While the outcomes are encouraging, they require further validation before they can be adopted in clinical practice. Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is sexually transmitted and commonly widespread in the head and neck region; however, its role in tumor development and prognosis has only been demonstrated for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPV-OPSCC). The aim of this review is to analyze the results of the most recent literature that has investigated the use of artificial intelligence (AI) as a method for discerning HPV-positive from HPV-negative OPSCC tumors. A review of the literature was performed using PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases, according to PRISMA for scoping review criteria (from 2017 to July 2024). A total of 15 articles and 4063 patients have been included. Eleven studies analyzed the role of radiomics, and four analyzed the role of AI in determining HPV histological positivity. The results of this scoping review indicate that AI has the potential to play a role in predicting HPV positivity or negativity in OPSCC. Further studies are required to confirm these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]