Malignancies in children with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection. The Italian Multicenter Study on Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection in Children.
Cancer has been closely associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection but this is less frequent in children. Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas represent the most frequently reported single tumor. The authors report seven cases of malignant tumors resulting from the analysis of all (n = 1321) children enrolled in the Italian Register for HIV Infection in Children. Tumors were distributed as follows: non-Hodgkin's B-cell lymphoma (four cases); and Kaposi's sarcoma, hepatoblastoma, acute B-cell lymphoblastic leukemia (one case each). Hepatoblastoma had never been previously reported in HIV-infected children. Also in the current series, non-Hodgkin's B-cell lymphoma is the most frequent single tumor. Five of the seven cancers belonged to the B-cell line. All but one of the seven children have died. Specific chemotherapy was provided in three cases, with some clinical improvement. The treatment of malignancies in HIV-infected children is hampered by increased risk of opportunistic infections often fatal even in children with apparent remission from the tumor.
Aricò
M
M
Department of Pediatrics, Istituto Ricovero e Cura a Caratiere Scientifico (IRCCS) Policlinico, S. Matteo, Pavia, Italy.
Caselli
D
D
D'Argenio
P
P
Del Mistro
A R
AR
DeMartino
M
M
Livadiotti
S
S
Santoro
N
N
Terragna
A
A
D002051:Burkitt Lymphoma / Q000209:etiology; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology; D016483:Lymphoma, AIDS-Related / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*; D012514:Sarcoma, Kaposi / Q000209:etiology