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The incidence of two non-melanoma
skin cancers—basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas—is more than twice as high
among people with HIV as compared with the general population, according to
study findings published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute and
reported by Kaiser Permanente, which conducted the research. The study included
a cohort of 6,560 HIV-positive and nearly 37,000 HIV-negative members of Kaiser
Permanente Northern California between 1996 and 2008.
The study, which is the first to
identify with such specificity the nature of this increased skin cancer risk,
found that the HIV-positive participants’ rate of basal cell carcinomas was 2.1
times higher than those without HIV, and their risk of squamous cell carcinomas
2.6 times greater. The researchers also found that squamous cell carcinomas
were associated with lowered CD4 counts. The study’s authors note these
findings fall in line with HIV-positive people’s increased risk for a wide
variety of cancers, which is likely a consequence of damage to the immune
system.
In press materials, senior author
Maryam M. Asgari, MD, MPH, a Kaiser Permanente dermatologist and investigator
at its Division of Research, called for “increased vigilance in skin-cancer screening
for HIV-positive individuals” for these common and typically curable cancers,
“particularly for those who are not on antiretroviral therapy or who were
diagnosed late and have more advanced HIV/AIDS.”
To read the Kaiser Permanente
release, visit: http://xnet.kp.org/newscenter/pressreleases/nat/2013/012913-hiv-skin-cancer-rates.html
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
