Urbute A, Rasmussen CL, Belmonte F, et al. - Observational studies estimating survival in anal cancer patients, according to HPV DNA, p16INK4a, and combined HPV DNA/p16INK4a status, were assessed in this systematic review and meta-analysis. Following systematically searches in PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases until July 25, 2018, researchers included 16 studies for this work. These studies involved 1,724 anal cancer patients tested for HPV DNA (65% positive), and 567 patients tested for p16INK4a (87% positive). Outcomes revealed the pooled HR for OS of 0.54 for HPV DNA positive vs negative, 0.37 for p16INK4a positive vs negative, and 0.36 for HPV DNA positive/p16INK4a positive vs HPV DNA positive/p16INK4a negative anal cancer patients. Significantly better OS was reported for among patients with HPV DNA or p16INK4a positive vs HPV DNA or p16INK4a negative anal cancer. This study thereby suggests HPV DNA and/or p16INK4a testing as possible valuable when designing the management and follow-up strategy for patients diagnosed with anal cancer.