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. 2011 Feb;108(8):117-22.
doi: 10.3238/arztebl.2010.0117. Epub 2011 Feb 25.

HIV and cancer in Germany

Manfred Hensel  1 , Armin Goetzenich, Thomas Lutz, Albrecht Stoehr, Arend Moll, Jürgen Rockstroh, Nicola Hanhoff, Hans Jäger, Franz Mosthaf
Affiliations

HIV and cancer in Germany

Manfred Hensel et al. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2011 Feb.

Abstract

Background: Cancer is now the leading cause of death in persons with HIV. In this study, we gathered current epidemiological data on Aids-defining (AD) and non-Aids-defining (NAD) malignancies among HIV-positive patients in Germany.

Methods: From 2000 to 2007, all 35 specialized HIV outpatient clinics and 189 HIV ambulatory care centers in Germany were contacted and asked to fill out a structured questionnaire on the incidence of malignancies in HIV-positive patients during multiple periods of observation.

Results: 552 evaluable data sets were reported. 253 (45.8%) of the reported malignancies were AD. Among the 299 cases (54.2%) of NAD malignancies, there were 214 solid tumors, including 71 anal carcinomas (23.7% of all NAD malignancies), and 85 hematopoietic malignancies, including 29 cases of Hodgkin`s lymphoma (9.7% of all NAD malignancies). The high percentage of NAD malignancy remained constant throughout the entire period of the study. Only a single case of primary cerebral lymphoma was reported after 2001. The number of patients with Hodgkin`s lymphoma rose steadily from 2000 to 2007.

Conclusion: The spectrum of HIV-associated malignancies has changed since the early days of the HIV epidemic. In Germany, NAD malignancies have become more common than AD malignancies. In particular, anal carcinoma and Hodgkin's lymphoma are much more common among persons with HIV than in the general population. Persons with HIV need more intensive preventive care for cancer than non-infected persons do.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Malignancies in HIV patients from 111 German centers in the years 2000–2002, 2005, and 2007
Figure 2
Figure 2
Non-Aids-defining malignancies; CUP, cancer of unknown primary; NHL, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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