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Results from a recent Swiss study indicate that the higher risk of developing lung cancer in people with HIV compared to the general population arises from heavy smoking, not HIV infection.

Based on the results, the study authors recommended implementing strategies to reduce smoking, and therefore lung cancer risk, in HIV-positive adults.

The study authors also speculated that links between lung cancer and HIV or immune deficiency in previous studies were caused by overrepresentation of people with advanced HIV infections in lung cancer studies or accidental inclusion of cancers known…

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Results from a recent review confirm that HIV-positive adults are at a higher risk for developing cancer than the general population. In particular, people with HIV are about four times more likely to develop cancer than people without HIV and are slightly more likely to develop cancer than people who have had an organ transplant.

The study authors suggested that a weakened immune system underlies the increased cancer rate.

“Our findings show that there is a need for prevention and early diagnosis of cancers related to infectious agents (such as…

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Results from a recent study suggest that HIV-positive men with prostate cancer have similar treatment outcomes and side effects as men without HIV when treated with radiation.

However, the study authors also found that greater viral loads may predict decreased treatment efficacy.

Based on their results, the authors stated that plans for radiation therapy and the prescribed doses used do not necessarily need to be altered for HIV-positive men with prostate cancer.

In men, prostate cancer is the third most common cause of death from cancer; in men over the…

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People With HIV Are At Increased Risk Of Six Cancers – Results from a recent study indicate that people with HIV are at an increased risk of developing Kaposi’s sarcoma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, melanoma, anal cancer, and liver cancer compared to people without HIV. The researchers also found lung and oral cancers more frequently in people with HIV, but attributed this to lifestyle factors such as higher smoking rates. There was no increased risk of colorectal cancer and a reduced risk of prostate cancer. Results also showed that lower CD4 (white blood cell) counts were associated with an increased cancer risk. Higher viral load (amount of HIV in the blood) was only linked with a higher risk of Kaposi’s sarcoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. For more information, please see the press release from Kaiser Permanente or the study in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention (abstract).

Gilead Receives Approval For Eviplera In Europe – The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has approved Gilead Sciences’ new once-daily combination antiretroviral pill Eviplera (rilpivirine/emtricitabine/tenofovir) for the treatment of HIV in previously untreated adults with viral loads (amount of HIV in the blood) of 100,000 copies per milliliter or less. The approval means that Eviplera can be marketed in all 27 countries in the European Union. Eviplera, known as Complera in the U.S., was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in August. For more information, please see the Gilead Sciences press release.

AIDS Deaths Continue To Drop Worldwide – An annual report from the United Nations shows that the number of deaths worldwide due to AIDS has continued to drop for the third year in a row. The number of new HIV infections also fell 21 percent in 2010 compared to 1997; 70 percent of new infections were in sub-Saharan Africa. However, the number of people on antiretrovirals increased 20 percent in 2010 in sub-Saharan Africa, bringing the total to 50 percent of clinically eligible people with HIV in low- and middle-income countries. The report also notes that due to longer lifespans and greater survival rates, the number of people living with HIV now stands at an estimated 34 million, the highest ever. For more information, please see the United Nations report (pdf) or the article in the Washington Post.

Study Finds Viread Vaginal Gel Is Safe But Ineffective For HIV Prevention – Results from the Oral Interventions to Control the Epidemic (VOICE) study indicate that a vaginal gel containing 1 percent Viread (tenofovir) is safe but ineffective at preventing HIV infection in women. Based on the results, the National Institutes of Health, which is funding the study, has decided to drop the vaginal gel from the study. The trial, whose purpose is to provide women with methods to prevent HIV infection, will continue to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Truvada (emtricitabine/tenofovir) pills instead. The VOICE study was first modified in September after results showed that a Viread pill was also ineffective (see related AIDS Beacon news). For more information, please see the National Institutes of Health press release.

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Results from a recent Swiss study indicate that as people with HIV get older, additional diseases such as diabetes, heart attacks, and cancer become increasingly common in this population.

The study authors also said that a comparison of their results with studies of HIV-negative, older adults suggests that people with HIV have around a three- to four-fold higher risk for cancer and heart attacks and a five-fold higher risk for diabetes than people of the same age without HIV.

Based on their results, the authors recommended that older adults with…