Should All HIV-Positive Women Be Screened for Anal Cancer?

A substantial portion of HIV-positive women who did not meet current guidelines for anal cancer screening were found to have precancerous lesions.

Current guidelines recommend annual anal cancer screening for HIV-infected women with a history of abnormal cervical cytology or receptive anal intercourse (RAI). However, anal high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) have been observed in HIV-infected women with or without those risk factors.

To determine whether current guidelines adequately identify HIV-infected women at risk for anal HSIL, investigators conducted a retrospective cohort study at a medical center where, since 2009, all HIV-infected persons were offered annual anal cytology screening, regardless of cancer risk factors. Patients with abnormal cytology were then referred for high-resolution anoscopy (HRA) with biopsy of suspicious areas.

Of 745 women who underwent sc…

Reviewing Author

Keith Henry, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardViiV Advisory Board

Editorial BoardsJAIDS: Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes

Keith Henry, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardViiV Advisory Board

Editorial BoardsJAIDS: Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes

Should All HIV-Positive Women Be Screened for Anal Cancer?

Topics

Reviewing Author