Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Jun 1;27(9):1433-41.
doi: 10.1097/QAD.0b013e32835f6b0c.

Predicting risk of cancer during HIV infection: the role of inflammatory and coagulation biomarkers

Álvaro H Borges  1 , Michael J Silverberg, Deborah Wentworth, Andrew E Grulich, Gerd Fätkenheuer, Ronald Mitsuyasu, Giuseppe Tambussi, Caroline A Sabin, James D Neaton, Jens D Lundgren; INSIGHT SMART; ESPRIT; SILCAAT Study Groups
Affiliations

Predicting risk of cancer during HIV infection: the role of inflammatory and coagulation biomarkers

Álvaro H Borges et al. AIDS. .

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the relationship between inflammatory [interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP)] and coagulation (D-dimer) biomarkers and cancer risk during HIV infection.

Design: A prospective cohort.

Methods: HIV-infected patients on continuous antiretroviral therapy (ART) in the control arms of three randomized trials (N=5023) were included in an analysis of predictors of cancer (any type, infection-related or infection-unrelated). Hazard ratios for IL-6, CRP and D-dimer levels (log2-transformed) were calculated using Cox models stratified by trial and adjusted for demographics and CD4+ cell counts and adjusted also for all biomarkers simultaneously. To assess the possibility that biomarker levels were elevated at entry due to undiagnosed cancer, analyses were repeated excluding early cancer events (i.e. diagnosed during first 2 years of follow-up).

Results: During approximately 24,000 person-years of follow-up (PYFU), 172 patients developed cancer (70 infection-related; 102 infection-unrelated). The risk of developing cancer was associated with higher levels (per doubling) of IL-6 (hazard ratio 1.38, P<0.001), CRP (hazard ratio 1.16, P=0.001) and D-dimer (hazard ratio 1.17, P=0.03). However, only IL-6 (hazard ratio 1.29, P=0.003) remained associated with cancer risk when all biomarkers were considered simultaneously. Results for infection-related and infection-unrelated cancers were similar to results for any cancer. Hazard ratios excluding 69 early cancer events were 1.31 (P=0.007), 1.14 (P=0.02) and 1.07 (P=0.49) for IL-6, CRP and D-dimer, respectively.

Conclusion: Activated inflammation and coagulation pathways are associated with increased cancer risk during HIV infection. This association was stronger for IL-6 and persisted after excluding early cancer. Trials of interventions may be warranted to assess whether cancer risk can be reduced by lowering IL-6 levels in HIV-positive individuals.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: There are no conflicts of interest.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 1993 revised classification system for HIV infection and expanded surveillance case definition for AIDS among adolescents and adults. MMWR Recomm Rep. 1992;41:1–19. - PubMed
    1. Grulich AE, van Leeuwen MT, Falster MO, Vajdic CM. Incidence of cancers in people with HIV/AIDS compared with immunosuppressed transplant recipients: a meta-analysis. Lancet. 2007;370:59–67. - PubMed
    1. Patel P, Hanson DL, Sullivan PS, Novak RM, Moorman AC, Tong TC, et al. Incidence of types of cancer among HIV-infected persons compared with the general population in the United States, 1992–2003. Ann Intern Med. 2008;148:728–736. - PubMed
    1. Bedimo RJ, McGinnis KA, Dunlap M, Rodriguez-Barradas MC, Justice AC. Incidence of non-AIDS-defining malignancies in HIV-infected versus noninfected patients in the HAART era: impact of immunosuppression. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2009;52:203–208. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Silverberg MJ, Chao C, Leyden WA, Xu L, Tang B, Horberg MA, et al. HIV infection and the risk of cancers with and without a known infectious cause. AIDS. 2009;23:2337–2345. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms