As HIV Patients Live Longer, Certain Cancer Risks Rise: Study
As HIV Patients Live Longer, Certain Cancer Risks Rise: Study
Anal, colon and liver cancers more common now, researchers find
However, declines were seen in the rate of Kaposi sarcoma -- by 6 percent a year -- and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which fell by 8 percent a year, the study authors reported.
No change was noted for lung cancer, Hodgkin lymphoma and melanoma, the researchers said.
"This is because the increased risk of developing certain cancers that comes with living longer has been compensated by improvements in care, such as reduced smoking, increased awareness of the harmful effects of sun exposure, and improved immune function," said Silverberg.
But anal cancer and liver cancer incidence each went up by 6 percent a year, while colon cancer rose by 5 percent annually, the study found.
Why? A declining early death rate among HIV patients -- about 9 percent a year -- which provides greater opportunity for other diagnoses, the researchers said.
By contrast, no notable increase in cancer risk of any kind was observed among the non-HIV group.
"Knowing what the cancer risks actually are for today's HIV patients as they live longer is useful clinically, because it can help us prioritize which cancers we need to focus on for this group in terms of prevention," Silverberg said.
Cancer is only one aspect of a changing risk profile confronting today's HIV patients, said Dr. Jeffrey Laurence, senior scientific consultant for programs at amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research.
"It's also heart disease, accelerated cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and kidney disease, all of which are now more common among HIV patients," Laurence said.
Most likely, a longer life span is contributing to the increase in cancer and these other chronic conditions, he said. "In general, we need to be more aware of each patient's particular health profile, so we can perhaps modify or change treatment as needed to deal with the risks at hand," he said.
Study co-author Dr. Michael Horberg, immediate past chair of the HIV Medicine Association, agreed.
As HIV has become a long-term chronic condition, "all sorts of health issues that patients and their doctors didn't think they had to worry about are now something they have to worry about," said Horberg, who is Kaiser Permanente's director of HIV/AIDS.
"It's no longer enough just to survive," he added. "You want to survive well."
As HIV Patients Live Longer, Some Cancer Risks Rise
Anal, colon and liver cancers more common now, researchers find
However, declines were seen in the rate of Kaposi sarcoma -- by 6 percent a year -- and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which fell by 8 percent a year, the study authors reported.
No change was noted for lung cancer, Hodgkin lymphoma and melanoma, the researchers said.
"This is because the increased risk of developing certain cancers that comes with living longer has been compensated by improvements in care, such as reduced smoking, increased awareness of the harmful effects of sun exposure, and improved immune function," said Silverberg.
But anal cancer and liver cancer incidence each went up by 6 percent a year, while colon cancer rose by 5 percent annually, the study found.
Why? A declining early death rate among HIV patients -- about 9 percent a year -- which provides greater opportunity for other diagnoses, the researchers said.
By contrast, no notable increase in cancer risk of any kind was observed among the non-HIV group.
"Knowing what the cancer risks actually are for today's HIV patients as they live longer is useful clinically, because it can help us prioritize which cancers we need to focus on for this group in terms of prevention," Silverberg said.
Cancer is only one aspect of a changing risk profile confronting today's HIV patients, said Dr. Jeffrey Laurence, senior scientific consultant for programs at amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research.
"It's also heart disease, accelerated cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and kidney disease, all of which are now more common among HIV patients," Laurence said.
Most likely, a longer life span is contributing to the increase in cancer and these other chronic conditions, he said. "In general, we need to be more aware of each patient's particular health profile, so we can perhaps modify or change treatment as needed to deal with the risks at hand," he said.
Study co-author Dr. Michael Horberg, immediate past chair of the HIV Medicine Association, agreed.
As HIV has become a long-term chronic condition, "all sorts of health issues that patients and their doctors didn't think they had to worry about are now something they have to worry about," said Horberg, who is Kaiser Permanente's director of HIV/AIDS.
"It's no longer enough just to survive," he added. "You want to survive well."
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