Muriel Lights' Candle Designs: HIV/AIDS and Cancer

Muriel Lights' Candle Designs: HIV/AIDS and Cancer: People with HIV/AIDS have a high risk of developing certain cancers, such as Kaposi sarcoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and cervical cancer (see...

HIV/AIDS and Cancer

People with HIV/AIDS have a high risk of developing certain cancers, such as Kaposi sarcoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and cervical cancer (see below). For people with HIV, these three cancers are often called “AIDS-defining conditions,” meaning that if a person with an HIV infection has one of these cancers it can signify the development of AIDS.

The connection between HIV/AIDS and certain cancers is not completely understood, but the link likely depends on a weakened immune system. Most types of cancer begin when normal cells change and grow uncontrollably, forming a mass called a tumor. A tumor can be benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous, meaning it can spread to other parts of the body). The types of cancer most common for people with HIV/AIDS are described in more detail below.

Epidemic (AIDS-related) Kaposi sarcoma

The most common type of KS in the United States is epidemic or AIDS-related KS. This type of KS develops in people who are infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. A person infected with HIV (that is, who is HIV-positive) does not necessarily have AIDS. The virus can be present in the body for a long time, typically many years, before causing major illness. The disease known as AIDS begins when the virus has seriously damaged the immune system, which results in certain types of infections and other medical complications, including KS. When HIV damages the immune system, people who also are infected with a certain virus (the Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus or KSHV) are more likely to develop KS. The risk of developing KS is closely linked to the CD4 count. The CD4 count is a measure of the effect of HIV on the immune system. The lower the CD4 count, the more likely that the patient will get KS.

KS is considered an "AIDS defining" illness. This means that when KS occurs in someone infected with HIV, that person officially has AIDS (and is not just HIV positive).

Treatment of HIV infection with highly active antiviral therapy (HAART) has resulted in fewer cases of epidemic KS. It can often keep advanced KS from developing. HAART doesn't completely protect against KS; it can still occur in people whose HIV is well controlled with HAART. Sometimes people on HAART get aggressive KS that requires treatment with chemotherapy, radiation, or some other therapy. Once KS develops it is still important to continue HAART. In areas of the world where HAART is not easy to obtain, KS in AIDS patients can advance quickly and cause death in just 6 months. 

Classic (Mediterranean) Kaposi sarcoma

Classic KS occurs in elderly people of Mediterranean, Eastern European, and Middle Eastern heritage. Classic KS is more common in men than in women. Patients typically have one or more lesions on the legs, ankles, or the soles of the feet. Compared to other types of KS, the lesions in this type do not grow as quickly, and new lesions do not develop as often. The people who get classic KS come from areas where KSHV infection is more common than in the United States or Northern Europe. The immune system of people with classic KS is not as weak as it is in those who have epidemic KS, but it may be weaker than normal. Getting older can naturally weaken the immune system a little. When this occurs, people who already have a KSHV infection are more likely to develop KS. 

Endemic (African) Kaposi sarcoma

Endemic KS occurs in people living in Equatorial Africa and is sometimes called African KS. KSHV infection is much more common in Africa than in other parts of the world, increasing the risk of KS there. There appear to be other factors in Africa that contribute to the development of KS since the disease affects a broader group of people that includes children and women.

Endemic KS tends to occur in younger people (usually under age 40). Rarely a more aggressive form of endemic KS is seen in children before puberty. This type usually affects the lymph nodes and other organs and can lead to death within a year.

Endemic KS used to be the most common type of KS in Africa. Then, as AIDS became more common in Africa, the epidemic type became the most common type seen in that area. 

Iatrogenic (transplant-associated) Kaposi sarcoma

When KS develops in people whose immune systems have been suppressed after an organ transplant, it is called iatrogenic, or transplant-associated KS. Most transplant patients need to take drugs to keep the immune system from rejecting (attacking and killing) the new organ. By weakening the body's immune system, these drugs increase the chance that someone infected with KSHV will develop KS. Stopping the immune suppressing drugs or lowering their dose often makes KS lesions disappear or get smaller.

Kaposi sarcoma in HIV negative men who have sex with men

Recently, there have been reports of KS developing in men who have sex with men who are not infected with HIV. In this group, the cases of KS are often mild, similar to cases of classic KS.

Common types of cancer

Other, less common types of cancer that may develop in people with HIV/AIDS are Hodgkin lumphoma, angiosarcoma (a type of cancer that begins in the lining of the blood vessels), anal cancer, liver cancer, mouth cancer, throat cancer, lung cancer, testicular cancer, colorectal cancer and types of skin cancer including basal cell cacinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma

Last Medical Review: 10/26/2011
Last Revised: 01/24/2012                                                                                                               
http://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/hiv-and-aids-related-cancerobtained February 9, 2013

http://www.hivinfectionandaids/hiv-infection-and-aids-h-ow-are-h-i-vand-a-i-d-srelatedtocancer obtained February 9, 2013