title: HIV Testing in Patients With Cancer at the Initiation of Therapy at a Large US Comprehensive Cancer Center.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the rates of HIV testing and infection among patients with cancer at initiation of systemic cancer therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adults with cancer who registered at a comprehensive cancer center from January 2004 through April 2011 and received systemic cancer therapy. We determined rates of HIV-1/2 and/or Western blot testing and HIV positivity at initiation of systemic cancer therapy. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine predictors of HIV testing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 18,874 patients with cancer who received systemic cancer therapy during the study period, 3,514 (18.6%) were tested for HIV at initiation of cancer therapy. The prevalence of positive HIV test results was 1.2% (41 of 3,514), and the prevalence of newly diagnosed HIV was 0.3% (12 of 3,514). The HIV testing rate was lower in black than in white patients (13.7% v 19.2%), but the prevalence of positive test results was higher in black patients (4.5%) than in any other racial/ethnic group. Among patients with AIDS-defining cancers (eg, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and cervical cancer), predictors of HIV testing were history of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, younger age, and registration after 2006. Among patients with non-AIDS-defining cancers, predictors of HIV testing were younger age, registration after 2006, male sex, history of illicit drug use or sexually transmitted disease, having a hematologic malignancy, and black race.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of HIV infection among patients with cancer was 1.2%, higher than the 0.1% prevalence threshold above which national guidelines recommend routine opt-out testing; however, the overall HIV testing rate was low.
authors.affiliation: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Houston Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Sciences Research and Development, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center; and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX jphwang@mdanderson.org.
authors.forename: Jessica P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.affiliation: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Houston Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Sciences Research and Development, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center; and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.
authors.forename: Bruno P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Granwehr
authors.affiliation: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Houston Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Sciences Research and Development, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center; and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.
authors.forename: Harrys A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.affiliation: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Houston Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Sciences Research and Development, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center; and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.
authors.forename: Maria E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Suarez-Almazor
authors.affiliation: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Houston Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Sciences Research and Development, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center; and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.
authors.forename: Thomas P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Giordano
authors.affiliation: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Houston Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Sciences Research and Development, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center; and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.
authors.forename: Andrea G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Barbo
authors.affiliation: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Houston Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Sciences Research and Development, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center; and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.
authors.forename: Heather Y
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Houston Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Sciences Research and Development, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center; and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Fisch
authors.affiliation: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Houston Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Sciences Research and Development, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center; and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.
authors.forename: Elizabeth Y
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Chiao
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000821:virology*; D015995:Prevalence; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult