Changing trends in the incidence and spectrum of cancers between 1990 and 2021 among HIV-infected patients in Busan, Korea

Abstract

Background: Long-term follow-up data on cancer incidence and spectrum among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals in Korea have been scarce.

Material and methods: This retrospective cohort study included HIV-infected individuals visiting a tertiary care hospital in Busan, South Korea between 1990 and 2021. The observation was divided into 4 periods. The incidence rate was calculated using direct standardization on age and sex, stratified by calendar period.

Results: Of the 1,297 patients, 92 patients (7.1%) were diagnosed with 97 cancers. Excluding 37 patients with prevalent cancer, 1,260 patients were followed for a total of 8,803.7 person-years (PYs), and 55 patients developed 60 incident cancers including 5 second primary incident cancers. In men, the AIDS-defining cancer (ADC) incidence decreased from 294.7 per 100,000 PYs in 1990-1997 to 124.8 per 100,000 PYs in 2014-2021, while the non-AIDS-defining cancer (NADC) incidence increased from 0 per 100,000 PYs to 316.5 per 100,000 PYs during the same period. The proportion of virus-unrelated NADCs (VU-NADCs) increased from 33.3% in 1998-2005 to 49% in 2014-2021. The proportion of human papillomavirus-associated cancers (HPVACs) has recently increased in both ADCs and NADCs. The median time from HIV diagnosis to their first cancer was 1.48 years for ADCs, 6.11 years for VR-NADCs, 8.3 years for VU-NADCs, and 11.5 years for HPVACs.

Conclusion: The incidence of NADCs is increasing with the aging of HIV-infected patients, and thus, it is necessary to promote cancer screening and prevention programs.

Keywords: Cancer; Epidemiology; HIV.