HIV Increases the Risk for HPV-Related Cancers Among Hispanics

Hispanic patients with HIV have a higher risk for developing human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancers than non‐Hispanic whites and non‐Hispanic blacks with the infection, a new study shows.

To reach their conclusion, the researchers analyzed data from the HIV/AIDS Cancer Match Study to estimate cancer risk in Hispanics with HIV and the general US Hispanic population by using standardized incidence ratios.

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Among Hispanics with HIV, 502 HPV‐related cancers were reported in 864,067 person‐years of follow‐up.

With the exception of oropharyngeal cancer, the risk for HPV‐related cancers was higher among Hispanics with HIV compared with Hispanics without infection.

The researchers determined that while the rate of cervical cancer was higher in Hispanic women with HIV than in non‐Hispanic whites with HIV, the rate of vulvar cancer was lower in Hispanic women with HIV than in non‐Hispanic whites and non‐Hispanic blacks with the infection.

Hispanic men with HIV had a higher rate of penile cancer than non‐Hispanic whites with HIV and a lower rate of anal cancer than both non‐Hispanic whites and non‐Hispanic blacks with HIV.

Among all HPV‐related cancer types, the 5‐year survival was greater than 50% for Hispanics with HIV—not significantly different than the survival rates in other racial/ethnic groups.

“HPV vaccination should be promoted among HIV‐infected individuals to reduce the burden of HPV‐related cancers,” the researchers concluded.

—Colleen Murphy

Reference:

Ortiz AP, Engels EA, Nogueras‐González GM, et al. Disparities in human papillomavirus–related cancer incidence and survival among human immunodeficiency virus–infected Hispanics living in the United States [published online October 22, 2018]. Cancer. https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.31702.