[Malignant lymphomas in HIV-infected patients]

Abstract

Eleven patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and three patients with Hodgkin's disease were observed among 876 anti-HIV-positive subjects attending the AIDS clinic at the University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland. Compared to the general population this represents a 50-fold (95% confidence limits: 25-90) increased risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and an 11.4-fold (2.3-33) increased risk for Hodgkin's disease in anti-HIV-positive men. High malignancy, advanced stage of disease at the time of diagnosis, and extranodal localization are characteristic of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in AIDS patients, which carries a poor prognosis. However, remissions and prolonged disease-free survival are possible in individual cases. Only one opportunistic infection was observed during 92 months of treatment and observation using a mild chemotherapeutic regimen (m-BACOD). Less myelosuppressive chemotherapeutic schedules appear to be more beneficial than aggressive regimens in anti-HIV-positive patients due to the lower incidence of opportunistic infections.