HIV-infected People with Early-Stage Cancers are up to Four Times More Likely to Go Untreated for Cancer, Penn Study Finds
Lack of Clinical Trial Data, Guidelines on HIV Patients with Cancer May Contribute to Health Disparity
June 30, 2014 - PHILADELPHIA - HIV-infected people diagnosed with cancer are two to four times more
likely to go untreated for their cancer compared to uninfected cancer patients, according to a new, large retrospective study from
researchers in Penn Medicine 's Abramson Cancer Center and the National
Cancer Institute (NCI) published online ahead of print in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Life expectancy for HIV-infected people is now similar to uninfected people, but survival for HIV patients who develop cancer
is not. While many studies have attempted to understand why HIV-infected cancer patients have worse outcomes, the new study, the
largest of its size and scope, examined differences in cancer treatment as one potential explanation. For early-stage cancers
that have the highest chance of cure with appropriate treatment, those with HIV were twice to four times as likely to not
receive appropriate cancer treatment, the researchers found. HIV-infected people with lymphoma, lung cancer, prostate
cancer, and colorectal cancer were almost twice as likely to be untreated for cancer, even after considering
differences in age, gender, race, and stage.
"In my clinical experience, I have seen uncertainty surrounding treatment of HIV-infected cancer patients," said the study's
lead author, Gita Suneja, MD, an
adjunct assistant professor in the department of Radiation Oncology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and in
the Abramson Cancer Center. "Patients with HIV have typically been excluded
from clinical trials, and therefore oncologists do not know if the best available treatments are equally safe and effective in
those with HIV. Many oncologists rely on guidelines based on such trials for treatment decision making, and in the absence
of guidance, they may elect not to treat HIV-infected cancer patients due to concerns about adverse side effects or poor survival."
"This could help explain in part why many HIV-positive cancer patients are not receiving appropriate cancer care," she added.
Dr. Suneja collaborated with researchers at the NCI, as well as registrars from three states-Connecticut, Michigan, and
Texas-that provided data to NCI's HIV/AIDS Cancer Match Study. The researchers used the data to study adults diagnosed with
non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, or cervical, lung, anal, prostate, colorectal, or breast cancer from 1996 through
2010. Over 3,000 HIV-infected and one million uninfected cancer cases were examined.
The advent of antiretroviral therapy has changed the outlook in the fight against HIV/AIDS. People with HIV are living longer
and healthier lives, and a disease that was once thought to be universally fatal has now become a chronic and manageable disease like
diabetes or hypertension.
In the early era of the HIV epidemic there were reports of worse toxicity and side effects, but there are now more
effective ways to support the immune system, most of them safe, tolerable and effective. Still, treatments for cancer
patients with HIV can be clinically challenging due to drug interactions and the potential increase in
immunosuppression from chemotherapy or radiation.
To help close the disparity gap among HIV positive patients with cancer and those not infected, cancer clinical trials
should begin enrolling HIV-infected patients, the authors suggest, and cancer management guidelines should incorporate recommendations
for HIV-infected patients.
"The results of this study are very concerning and require further investigation to understand why such a substantial
proportion of HIV-infected cancer patients are not undergoing life-saving treatment," said Dr. Suneja. "As cancer becomes an
increasingly common cause of death in the HIV population, the issue of cancer treatment in the HIV-infected cancer
population will grow in importance."
o-authors of the study include Meredith S. Shiels PhD, Rory Angulo, MD, Glenn E. Copeland, Lou Gonsalves, PhD, Anne M. Hakenewerth PhD, Kathryn E. Macomber MPH, Sharon K. Melville MD, and Eric A. Engels, MD.
The study was funded by the Intramural Research Program of the National Cancer Institute (HHSN261201000024C).
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Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education,
biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and
Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the
University of Pennsylvania Health System , which together form
a $4.3 billion enterprise.
The Perelman School of Medicine has been ranked among the top five medical schools in the United States for the past
17 years, according to U.S. News & World Report 's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently
among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $392 million awarded in the 2013 fiscal year.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of
Pennsylvania -- recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report ;
Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; Chester County Hospital; Penn Wissahickon Hospice; and Pennsylvania Hospital -- the nation's first
hospital, founded in 1751. Additional affiliated inpatient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region
include Chestnut Hill Hospital and Good Shepherd Penn Partners, a partnership between Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network
and Penn Medicine.
Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities.
In fiscal year 2013, Penn Medicine provided $814 million to benefit our community.
Source: Penn Medicine: University of Pennsylvania
http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2014/06/suneja/
Contact:
Steve Graff
O: 215-349-5653
C: 215-301-5221
"Reproduced with permission - Penn Medicine: University of Pennsylvania"
Penn Medicine: University of Pennsylvania
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