Lung Cancer Risk in HIV: Don't Just Blame the Smoking

Cigarette smoking is highly prevalent among HIV-positive individuals, but it doesn't seem to entirely explain the increased risk for lung cancer in this population.

Prior studies have suggested that the association between HIV infection and lung cancer risk is independent of the high rate of cigarette smoking observed among HIV-positive people. To explore this possibility further, investigators evaluated data from a large prospective cohort study of injection-drug users (IDUs) in Baltimore.

The analysis involved 2495 adult IDUs (74% men; 94% black) who were followed for at least 2 years; 740 were HIV-positive at baseline, and an additional 332 seroconverted during follow-up. Almost all study participants were current or past smokers.

During follow-up, 29 study participants developed lung cancer; 13 of them were HIV-positive, with a median CD4 count of 267 cells/mm³. The risk for lung cancer was twice as …

Reviewing Author

Sonia Nagy Chimienti, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Sonia Nagy Chimienti, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Lung Cancer Risk in HIV: Don't Just Blame the Smoking

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Reviewing Author