Disproportionate high incidence of invasive cervical cancer as an AIDS-indicative disease among young women in Catalonia, Spain.
BACKGROUND
Spain has the highest rate of AIDS in Europe since 1990, mainly at the expenses of the intravenous drug user (IDU) transmission group, and women account for 20% of all the cases. Because cervical lesions may be altered by HIV, invasive cervical cancer (ICC) is included in the AIDS case definition worldwide.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the impact of the HIV epidemic on the incidence of ICC and to describe the characteristics of ICC in the spectrum of AIDS-defining diseases in Catalonia, Spain.


METHODS
Descriptive study of women notified through the AIDS surveillance system during 1994 to 1996. Age-specific ICC incidence rates from a population-based Cancer Registry were used to calculate the population attributable risk percent (PAR%).


RESULTS
Fifty-six cases (6.8%) with ICC were reported to the AIDS Registry, 64.3% of those women were IDU with a mean age of 32. Among women aged 20 to 49, the PAR% was 12.2% (95% CI: 7.9-16.5%) and the incidence rate ratio was 18.5 (95% CI: 11.2-29.2).


CONCLUSIONS
HIV is having an impact on ICC epidemiology among young women in Catalonia. The policy of cervical screening should be modified and offered every 6 to 12 months to women at risk for or with HIV infection.
Mayans
M V
MV
Centre for Epidemiological Studies on AIDS in Catalonia, University Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Spain.
Maguire
A
A
Miret
M
M
Casabona
J
J
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control
D013287:Illicit Drugs