Cancer Presenting at a Younger Age Among People Living with HIV (PLWH)
Location
LSU Health Sciences Center - New Orleans
Start Date
9-4-2025 11:30 AM
End Date
9-4-2025 1:30 PM
Description
Background: Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) bears a significant HIV burden, with an estimated 38.4 million people living with HIV (PLWH). As of 2023, 4.4% of Tanzanians were HIV-positive, with higher risk in key populations. Although antiretroviral therapy (ART) has reduced AIDS-related mortality and increased life expectancy for PLWH, it also exposes them to age-related noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including malignancies. Despite this, limited data exists on how HIV affects the age of cancer diagnosis.
Objectives: To assess the prevalence of HIV among new cancer patients attending ORCI between 2020-2022. To determine age at presentation between cancer patients with and without HIV infection.
Methods: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study using hospital records of new cancer patients from 2020-2022. 1995 records of clients above 18 years with confirmed HIV status were included. Sociodemographic and clinicopathological characteristics were summarized using descriptive statistics. To assess the relationships between HIV status and age at cancer diagnosis, linear regression was applied. Sub-group analyses were performed for 7 cancer types including cervical, Prostate, Breast, Kaposi Sarcoma, Colorectal, Larynx and Esophageal cancers.
Results: The prevalence of HIV was 33.08%. The overall mean age at cancer diagnosis was 52 ± 14 years. Both cancer types and HIV status are significantly associated with age of cancer diagnosis (p<0.0001). Based on univariate linear models, age at diagnosis was significantly affected by HIV status in Cervical (β =-7.31, p<0.0001)Prostate (β=-7.70, p=0.002), and Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) cancers (β=-9.10, p<0.0001), with HIV positive patients presenting earlier. Specifically, for cervical cancer, the mean age was 53 ± 12 years; for KS 44 ± 13 years and for prostate cancer, 70 ± 8 years.
Conclusions: This pilot study showed that PLWH tend to develop certain cancers (cervical, prostate, and KS cancers) at younger ages.
Recommendations: Cancer screening and preventive measures should be strengthened, especially for PLWH.
Recommended Citation
Noah, Herriethsiah; Lidenge, Salum; Lin, Huiyi; and Wood, Charles, "Cancer Presenting at a Younger Age Among People Living with HIV (PLWH)" (2025). School of Public Health Delta Omega Honors Day Poster Sessions. 23.
https://digitalscholar.lsuhsc.edu/dohd/2025/2025/23
Poster
Cancer Presenting at a Younger Age Among People Living with HIV (PLWH)
LSU Health Sciences Center - New Orleans
Background: Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) bears a significant HIV burden, with an estimated 38.4 million people living with HIV (PLWH). As of 2023, 4.4% of Tanzanians were HIV-positive, with higher risk in key populations. Although antiretroviral therapy (ART) has reduced AIDS-related mortality and increased life expectancy for PLWH, it also exposes them to age-related noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including malignancies. Despite this, limited data exists on how HIV affects the age of cancer diagnosis.
Objectives: To assess the prevalence of HIV among new cancer patients attending ORCI between 2020-2022. To determine age at presentation between cancer patients with and without HIV infection.
Methods: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study using hospital records of new cancer patients from 2020-2022. 1995 records of clients above 18 years with confirmed HIV status were included. Sociodemographic and clinicopathological characteristics were summarized using descriptive statistics. To assess the relationships between HIV status and age at cancer diagnosis, linear regression was applied. Sub-group analyses were performed for 7 cancer types including cervical, Prostate, Breast, Kaposi Sarcoma, Colorectal, Larynx and Esophageal cancers.
Results: The prevalence of HIV was 33.08%. The overall mean age at cancer diagnosis was 52 ± 14 years. Both cancer types and HIV status are significantly associated with age of cancer diagnosis (p<0.0001). Based on univariate linear models, age at diagnosis was significantly affected by HIV status in Cervical (β =-7.31, p<0.0001)Prostate (β=-7.70, p=0.002), and Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) cancers (β=-9.10, p<0.0001), with HIV positive patients presenting earlier. Specifically, for cervical cancer, the mean age was 53 ± 12 years; for KS 44 ± 13 years and for prostate cancer, 70 ± 8 years.
Conclusions: This pilot study showed that PLWH tend to develop certain cancers (cervical, prostate, and KS cancers) at younger ages.
Recommendations: Cancer screening and preventive measures should be strengthened, especially for PLWH.
Comments
Mentor: Charles Wood, Dept of Interdisciplinary Oncology, Schools of Medicine and Graduate Studies, LSU Health Sciences Center - NO