title: The impact of HIV infection on the presentation of lung cancer in South Africa.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite the very high background prevalence of HIV and smoking-related diseases in sub-Saharan Africa, very little is known about the presentation of lung cancer in HIV-infected individuals.
  
  
  METHODS
  We prospectively compared HIV-positive (n=44) and HIV-negative lung cancer patients (n=425) with regard to demographics, cell type, performance status and umour node metastasis staging at initial presentation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HIV-positive patients were found to be younger than HIV-negative (mean 54.1 (standard deviation (SD) 8.4) years v. 60.5 (10) years, p&lt;0.01), more likely to have squamous cell carcinoma (43.2% v. 30.1%, p=0.07) and significantly more likely to have a poor Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of ≥3 (47.7% v. 29.4%, p=0.02). In the case of non-small cell-lung cancer, they were also significantly less likely to have early stage lung cancer (0% v. 10.3%, p=0.02) compared with HIV-negative patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HIV-positive lung cancer patients were younger, significantly more likely to have a poor performance status at presentation and significantly less likely to have early stage lung cancer when compared with HIV-negative patients.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonology, Department of Medicine, Stellenbosch University and Tygerberg Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa. coeniefn@sun.ac.za.
authors.forename: C F N
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Koegelenberg
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Van der Made
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Taljaard
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Irusen
mesh_terms: D017668:Age of Onset; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D018023:HIV Seronegativity; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology