BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to investigate roles of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and stathmin in sinonasal inverted papilloma (SNIP). MethodsHPV DNA detection was performed by the fluorescence-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Stathmin protein expression was investigated by the immunohistochemistry method and mRNA expression of stathmin, Kif2a, and cyclin D1 were assessed by real-time PCR in SNIP and control subjects. ResultsThe positive rate of HPV DNA detected in SNIP was about 53.6% (15 of 28). Recurrent cases showed a higher rate of HPV infection compared with initial cases and higher Krouse stage (T3+T4) cases showed higher rate of HPV infection than lower Krouse stage (T1+T2) cases. Stronger expression of stathmin, Kif2a, and cyclin D1 were observed in SNIP, especially HPV(+) SNIP. ConclusionHPV infection was closely associated with recurrence and progression of SNIP. Stathmin is a valuable prognostic marker and could be considered as a therapeutic target in patients with SNIP. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: 220-224, 2016