Nonmelanoma Skin Cancers in Patients with HIV Mirror Cancer in the General Population

In persons with HIV infection, as in the general population, the factors most associated with the development of cutaneous malignancies are the traditional ones.

When HIV was first recognized, patients often presented with advanced immunosuppression and had AIDS-defining cancers traditionally associated with immunosuppressive therapies or viral infections, such as Kaposi sarcoma and anogenital carcinoma. Now, HIV infection is frequently recognized much earlier, and antiretroviral therapy (ART) provides reconstituted immunity and longer, healthier lives, particularly in urban America.

To determine the frequency and nature of cutaneous malignancies, including nonmelanoma skin cancers, in persons with HIV infection, researchers collected prospective outcomes data on 4490 HIV-infected patients between 1986 and 2006 (mean follow-up, 7.5 years). Six percent of the study population (254 patients) developed …

Reviewing Author

Jeffrey P. Callen, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory board XOMA; Eli Lilly; Celgene

Equity Various trust accounts

Editorial boards JAMA Dermatology; UpToDate

Leadership positions in professional societies Association of Professors of Dermatology (President-Elect)