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Epidemiology of HIV and Neoplasias
Definite AssociationKaposi's sarcoma
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Squamous carcinoma conjunctiva
Probable Association
Hodgkin's disease
Plasmacytoma
Leiomyosarcoma (Pediatric)
Kaposi's sarcoma
Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is the most common neoplasm affecting HIV-infected individuals.
Risk greatest in homosexual male population (up to 73,000 fold risk) but high among all HIV risk
Impact of HAART highly significant with well-documented decline on incidence of les after 1995. Since 1995, overall incidence of KS has declined 61% in MACS study.
Pathogenesis
The pathogenesis of KS in HIV-infected patients is complex and may involve infectious and
Confinement to the homosexual male population with recent declining incidence, its occurrence in non-HIV
infected gay men and in female sexual partners of bisexual men all have suggested the possibility of
Laboratory investigations have identified a novel herpesvirus (HHV-8, KSHV) associated with
Clinical presentation and diagnosis
KS in the HIV-infected individual is usually an aggressive and unpredictable mucocutaneous disease.
Palpable, firm, non-tender, cutaneous nodules, ranging from 0.5 to 2 cm in diameter, are frequently observed.
However, early, small, non-palpable lesions, often resembling small ecchymoses, may be
Cutaneous complications of KS
Pain: as lesions progress at any site they may become painful or locally
Diagnosis
Presumptive diagnoses of KS are discouraged. Biopsy is recommended.
Differential diagnosis includes bacillary angiomatosis, cutaneous micobacterial disease, cutaneous fungal disease and angiosarcoma.
Staging
Systems based purely upon tumor bulk are unhelpful.
In addition to tumor bulk important prognostic factors include: level of
Treatment - can be divided into either local therapy or systemic therapy.
Is a systemic disease and requires some form of systemic therapy (could be antiviral)
Local therapy: the appropriate choice for symptomatic local involvement or small lesions which are cosmetically unsightly.
Radiotherapy - generally 800 cGy or equivalent fractionated dose. Electron beam therapy highly
Intralesional vinblastine: used 0.01 mg vinblastine in .1 ml sterile water per lesion. Repeated
Cryotherapy: liquid nitrogen is used and is successful therapy. Also useful for small cosmetically
Topical Therapy: 9-cis retinoic acid (approval pending)
Systemic therapy (chemotherapy): indicated for widespread symptomatic disease, rapidly
Liposomal anthracyclines: First-line therapy for advanced cutaneous or visceral disease.
The doxorubicin, bleomycin, vincristine (ABV) is less commonly employed for patients with
Regimens such as vincristine and bleomycin may be used for less advanced symptomatic disease
Paclitaxel (Toxol): Highly active agent used as second-line therapy in patients refactory initial
Systemic Therapy for AIDS-KS
Single Agent
| Agent | Dose | Reported Response | Recommended Use |
| Vincristine | 2 mg/wk | 20-59% | Rarely used alone, nonmyelosuppressive |
| Vinblastine | 0.5-1 mg/kg/wk | 25-30% | Rarely used alone |
| Etoposide | 50 mg po qd, alternate weeks or 150 mg/m3 IV qd for 3d q 3-4 wks | 36-75% | As single agent for prior treatment failure |
| Adriamycin | 20 mg/m2 q OW | 53% | Rarely used alone |
| Bleomycin | 10-15 u/m2q 2 wks
or 20 mg/m2/d x 3d |
65% | Nonmyelosuppressive; use if intolerance to other agents |
| Paclitaxel | 100 mg/mq2 2 wks | 53% | Treatment failures* |
| Liposomal
Doxorubicin |
20 mg/m2 q 2-3 wks | 45-74% | Single agent
Refractory disease* |
| Liposomal
Daunorubicin |
40 mg/m2 q 2 wks | 28-55% | Single agent
First line therapy* |
| Vinorelbine | 30 mg/m2 q 2 wks | 40% | Treatment Failures |
*FDA-approved indications
| Agents | Dose | Reported Response | Recommended Use |
| Vincristine/Vinblastine | 2 mg alternate
0.1 mg/kg weeks |
45% | Diffuse, disease, minimally symptomatic |
| Adriamycin/Bleomycin/
Vincristine |
10-20 mg/m2
10 mg/m3 q 14d 2 mg |
87% | Diffuse symptomatic disease, edema, rapid response desired |
| Bleomycin/Vincristine | 10 mg/m2 q 14d
2 mg |
Diffuse disease, symptomatic, patients with neutropenia or poor bone marrow reserve |
INTERFERON ALFA
Interferon
An active regimen for treating Kaposi's sarcoma.
Drag requires some level of intact immune function in order to achieve response. Those with
Therapeutic complications
Neutropenia: patients with poor bone-marrow reserve may be treated with bleomycin and vincristine, neither of which are myelosuppressive.
Investigational Agents
Investigational approaches at present are pathogenesis-based:
Angiogenesis inhibitors: rPF4, Tecogalan, TNP470
Retinoids: All trans-RA, 9-cis-RA, Liarozole
Cytokine inhibitors: IL4-, pentoxifylline, SU101
Antivirals: Foscarnet, Protease Inhibitors
Antiretroviral Therapy
KS responses have been observed to protease inhibitor or combination antiviral therapies in
HIV-associated lymphoma
Epidemiology
B-cell lymphoma occurs in between 5 and 10% of individuals with HIV infection. The incidence of lymphoma in this population has 'been rising and may reflect the prolongation of survival due to the use of effective antiretroviral therapy and infection prophylaxis.
Etiology
A. Etiology is unknown. Unlike transplant-associated NHL, Epstein-Barr virus has not been shown to be associated with a majority of systemic lymphomas. However, EBV DNA is found in
B. Other similarities exist with transplant-associated NHL. Polyclonal lymphomas have been
C. In vitro evidence suggests a role for interleukins 6 and 10 in pathogenesis. Inhibition of these
D. Body-cavity based lymphomas associated with HHV-8.
Pathology
HIV-associated non-Hodgkin's lymphomas are virtually all of B-cell origin. Most are
Systemic lymphomas present in individuals with a variety of levels of immune function (median approx 100/mm3). Seventy-five percent have CD4>50/mm3
. Most present with extranodal
Treatment
Treatment is frequently complicated by the occurrence of opportunistic infection and by the presence of poor bone marrow reserve both of which result in a decrease in the chemotherapy
Approaches to therapy that have been used include reduced-dose chemotherapeutic regimens (low-dose mBACOD or CHOP) and the use of more standard dose regimens with the adjunctive use of a hematopoietic growth factor (GM-CSF or G-CSF). Both colony stimulating feeders are effective means of reducing chemotherapy-associated myelosuppression.
Low-dose mBACOD:
In a non-randomized clinicaltrial this treatment regimen is associated with similar response and
| Agent | Dose | Day |
| Cyclophosphamide | 300 mg/m2, IV | 1 |
| Doxorubicin | 25 mg/m2, IV | 1 |
| Bleomycin | 4 mg/m2 , IV | 1 |
| Vincristine | 2 mg, IV | 1 |
| Dexamethasone | 3 mg/m2 , po | 1-5 |
| Methotrexate | 500 mg/m2, IV
Folinic acid rescue 25 mg q 6h x 6 beginning 24 hours after completion of MTX |
15 |
2. Aggressive Chemotherapy
a. Historically associated with higher risk of death due to opportunistic infection better tolerated in
b. Unclear whether longer survival observed in one study (LNH-84) due to
c. Myeloid growth factors (G-CSF, GM-CSF) have been shown to reduce hematologic toxicity
4. No survival difference. Most deaths due to opportunistic infection.
H. Meningeal prophylaxis (intrathecal MTX or cytosine arabinoside) clearly indicated for those
with positive bone marrow, small noncleaved histology and those with paranasal or epidural
I. Pneumocystis carinii prophylaxis is an important adjunct to regardless of CD4 count. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, dapsone, or inhaled pentamidine may be used.
J. Infusional cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, etoposide (CDE) (Investigational)
1. Associated with similar complete response rate as with other regimens (60%).
2. Long survival reported (median 18 months) in pilot study.
Anogenital Neoplasia
I. Nomenclature
A. C(A) IN = Cervical (Anal) Intraepithelial neoplasia
B. SIL = Squamous intraepithelial lesion
C. ASCUS = Atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance
D. CIN1 (mild dysplasia) - LSIL
D. CIN2 (moderate dysplasia) - HSIL