Evaluation of Cancers Developed in People Living with HIV: A Single-Center Experience

Introduction:There is not enough information in the literature about cancer in Turkish human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients.This study aims to evaluate the clinical and laboratory profiles of people with HIV/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and malignancy followed in a tertiary hospital in Ankara for 26 years. Materials and Methods: Our study is a retrospective cross-sectional study.Results: In our study, which included 366 patients, the cancer prevalence was found to be 7.1%.Approximately 90% of those in the AIDS-defining cancers (ADCs) group and 37.5% of the non-AIDS-defining cancer (NADCs) group were classified as stage 3, and a significant correlation was found between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stage at admission and the malignancy group (p= 0.014).The baseline HIV RNA level was higher in the ADCs group (p= 0.043).Similarly, the CD4+ cell count at the time of the diagnosis of malignancy was found to be significantly lower in the ADCs group than in the NADCs group (p= 0.024). Conclusion:Our findings highlight the critical importance of early HIV detection, which facilitates timely initiation of appropriate treatment and cancer screening.This underscores the shared responsibility of not only infectious disease specialists but all divisions of the healthcare system.Our study contributes to increasing awareness in this context.