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
Review
. 2017 Jan;12(1):77-83.
doi: 10.1097/COH.0000000000000331.

HIV-associated malignancies in children

Elvira Singh  1 , Gita Naidu, Mary-Ann Davies, Julia Bohlius
Affiliations
Review

HIV-associated malignancies in children

Elvira Singh et al. Curr Opin HIV AIDS. 2017 Jan.

Abstract

Purpose of review: HIV-infected children are at an increased risk of developing cancer. Many of the cancers in HIV-infected children are linked to immunosuppression and oncogenic coinfections. Worldwide most HIV-infected children live in sub-Saharan Africa, but cancer data for this population are scarce. In this article, we review the current literature on the epidemiology and prevention of cancer in HIV-infected children.

Recent findings: Combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) reduces the risk of developing cancer in HIV-infected children. Cancer risk remains increased in children who start cART at older ages or more advanced immunosuppression as compared with children who start cART at younger age and with mild immunosuppression. Starting cART before severe immunosuppression develops is key to prevent cancer in HIV-infected children but most children in low-income countries start cART at severe immunosuppression levels. Vaccination against high-risk variants of human papillomavirus may protect again human papillomavirus-associated cancer later in life. However, tailoring of human papillomavirus vaccination guidelines for HIV-infected children and young women awaits answers to determine the best vaccination strategies.

Summary: Better data on the short-term and long-term risks of developing cancer and the effects of preventive measures in HIV-infected children from regions with high burden of HIV/AIDS are urgently needed.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. UNAIDS estimates for number of children [in thousands] living with HIV stratified by age group and region in 2016
Latin America and the Caribbean: 7,200 children aged 0–4 years; 11,000 children aged 5–9 years; 14,000 children aged 10–14 years. Middle East and North Africa: 5,200 children aged 0–4 years; 3,400 children aged 5–9 years; 2,300 children aged 10–14 years. Estimates for Western, Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia and North America are not available (NA). Source: unpublished UNAIDS 2016 estimates
Figure 2
Figure 2. Kaposi Sarcoma Risk in HIV-Infected Children and Adolescents on Combination Antiretroviral Therapy from sub-Saharan Africa, Europe and Asia
Kaposi Sarcoma incidence rates per 100,000 person-years with 95% confidence intervals, adapted from [15]
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Stefan DC. Malignancies in children with HIV infection [Internet] In: Yarchoan R, editor. Cancers in People with HIV and AIDS: Progress and Challenges. Springer Science + Business Media; 2014. pp. 349–357.
    1. Goncalves PH, Montezuma-Rusca JM, Yarchoan R, Uldrick TS. Cancer prevention in HIV-infected populations. Semin Oncol. 2016;43:173–188. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chagaluka G, Stanley C, Banda K, Depani S, Nijram’Madzi J, Katangwe T, Israels T, Bailey S, Mukaka M, Molyneux E. Kaposi’s sarcoma in children: An open randomised trial of vincristine, oral etoposide and a combination of vincristine and bleomycin [Internet] Eur J Cancer. 2014;50:1472–1481. - PubMed
    1. Orem J, Maganda A, Mbidde EK, Weiderpass E. Clinical characteristics and outcome of children with Burkitt lymphoma in Uganda according to HIV infection. [Internet] Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2009;52:455–8. - PubMed
    1. Davidson A, Wainwright RD, Stones DK, Kruger M, Hendricks M, Geel J, Poole J, Reynders D, Omar F, Mathew R, et al. Malignancies in South African children with HIV. [Internet] J Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2014;36:111–7. - PubMed

Substances