Evaluating the Association between Human Papillomavirus and Vulvar Cancer: A Comprehensive Analysis Using Bradford Hill Criteria

Background: The role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the development of vulvar cancer (VC) has been widely studied, but findings have been inconsistent. Despite numerous meta-analyses exploring the potential link between HPV and VC, the association remains controversial due to inherent limitations in meta-analytic methods. Objectives: To address this controversy, the study aims to investigate the potential link between HPV and VC using the Bradford Hill criteria, which offer a more comprehensive framework for establishing causation. Methodology: The study began by extracting all relevant studies on the association between HPV and VC from the PubMed database. The potential links were then assessed by examining the data using the major postulates of the Bradford Hill criteria. To ensure the reliability of the findings, the methodologies of the identified studies were critically evaluated to account for possible false-negative and false-positive results. Results: The assessment of previous studies against the Bradford Hill criteria revealed that the major postulates were not fulfilled. Conclusion: Based on the findings, it can concluded that there is no causal association between HPV and VC.