ABSTRACT
Since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, tumors have been known to occur in HIV-infected individuals. Kaposi’s sarcoma (AIDS KS), non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (AIDS NHL), primary central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma, and cervical carcinoma are AIDS-defining diseases (1), and other malignancies, such as lung, rectal, breast, colon, head and neck, and testicular carcinoma, have been described in patients with HIV infection (2). AIDS KS and AIDS NHL tend to occur in patients with more severe immune deficiency, whereas other tumors may manifest at any level of CD4 cell counts. Treatment with chemotherapy to control these tumors should be based on clinical necessity and should not be withheld simply because of the patient’s HIV status. Even patients with advanced-stage AIDS NHL may benefit from chemotherapy. An Italian group reported median survival of 42 months with intensive chemotherapy in a subgroup of AIDS NHL patients with the following characteristics: age younger than 30 years, CD4 cell counts of more than 100/mm3, and without B symptoms (3).
