title: Non-AIDS-defining cancers and HIV infection.
abstract: With fewer patients now succumbing to infectious complications of AIDS, other HIV-related morbidities, such as malignancies, have become increasingly important. Apart from Kaposi's sarcoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and cervical cancer, which are considered as AIDS-defining, several additional cancers, referred to as non-AIDS-defining cancers, are also statistically increased in HIV-infected persons. These include Hodgkin's disease, anal carcinoma, lung cancer, nonmelanomatous skin cancer, and testicular germ cell tumors, among others. However, the types of cancer observed at an increased frequency and the relative risks reported vary widely among studies. Although immunosuppression is consistently associated with an increased risk of AIDS-related malignancies, the role of immunosuppression in the pathogenesis of non-AIDS- defining cancers is controversial. Although data regarding the optimal management of these cancers are lacking, current studies suggest that patients with HIV-associated malignancies should be treated with similar approaches to those of their counterparts in the general population.
authors.affiliation: University of Southern California, 1441 Eastlake Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA.
authors.forename: Soon Thye
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Alexandra M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Levine
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents