HIV-associated malignancies are cancers that occur more frequently among people living with HIV than in the general population, reflecting the effects of immune suppression, co-infection with oncogenic viruses, and chronic inflammation. They are traditionally divided into AIDS-defining cancers, which include Kaposi'…
HIV-associated malignancies are cancers that occur more frequently among people living with HIV than in the general population, reflecting the effects of immune suppression, co-infection with oncogenic viruses, and chronic inflammation. They are traditionally divided into AIDS-defining cancers, which include Kaposi's sarcoma, certain aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphomas, and invasive cervical cancer, and non-AIDS-defining cancers, such as Hodgkin lymphoma, anal cancer, liver cancer, and lung cancer, which have become relatively more prominent as people with HIV live longer. Many of these cancers are linked to viral co-infections, including human herpesvirus 8, Epstein-Barr virus, human papillomavirus, and the hepatitis viruses, whose oncogenic potential is amplified when the immune system is weakened. Effective antiretroviral therapy, by restoring immune function and suppressing HIV, has reduced the incidence of some AIDS-defining cancers, though the overall cancer burden in this population remains significant. Recognizing HIV-associated malignancies is important because they can present and behave differently from cancers in people without HIV and may require management that accounts for immune status and drug interactions. As a topic within Clinical Research In HIV AIDS And Prevention, HIV-associated malignancies reflect the field's attention to the broad health consequences of HIV infection and the prevention, screening, and treatment of related diseases.
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