Breast cancer among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients: the experience in Brescia, Northern Italy

Survival in HIV+ and HIV− women with breast cancer treated at the National Cancer Institute in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between 2000 and 2014

Background: The goal was to assess the survival of HIV+ women and HIV- women for breast cancer at a referral center for cancer treatment in Brazil.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed. A total of 136 women patients with breast cancer were included, being 36 HIV+ women and 100 HIV- women. Controls (HIV-) were selected according to HIV status, matched by date of cancer diagnosis, clinical stage, breast cancer treatment, and date of birth. Sociodemographic and cancer treatment data, as well as clinical HIV data, were extracted from physical and electronic medical records and secondary Instituto Nacional of cancer databases. To estimate survival, the Kaplan-Meier method was used. To determine the factors associated with mortality, Cox regression were used.

Results: The mean age of patients at diagnosis of cancer was 52 years. Regarding marital status, HIV+ patients had a higher frequency of single status). There were 44.1% deaths that occurred during the study period. Among HIV+ patients, there were 16 deaths, 15 of which were due to cancer. In HIV- patients there were 44 deaths (44%), with 32 cancer as the cause of death and 12 due to other causes. For the analysis of Overall. Differences were found in overall survival at 60 months (p=0.026), 55% and 69% respectively. The increased risk of death at 60 months among HIV+ women was observed also, after adjusting for schooling and molecular subtype (HR=1.95; 95% CI 1.03 – 3.70; p=0.041).

Conclusion: HIV infection influenced a worse prognosis for women with breast cancer regardless of tumor factors.

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HIV infection plays an important role in the prognosis of breast cancer.

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Matching of HIV+ and HIV− patients for important breast cancer characteristics.

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HIV+ patients exhibit worse overall survival when compared to HIV− patients.

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Cancer patients should undergo appropriate HAART regimens.

Association between HIV infection and outcomes of care among medicare enrollees with breast cancer

BACKGROUND

To assess the interaction of breast cancer, HIV infection, Medicare disability status, cancer stage and its implications for outcomes, after accounting for competing risks among female, fee-for-service Medicare enrollees.

METHODS

We used data from Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) -Medicare (2000-2013). From primary female breast cancer cases diagnosed between 2001 and 2011, we identified those with HIV infection. We used Generalized Linear Model for phase-specific incremental cost of HIV, Cox regression for association between HIV and all-cause mortality, and Fine and Gray competing risk models to assess hazard of breast cancer-specific mortality by HIV status. We also studied this association for subgroups of cancer stage and disability status.

FINDINGS

Of 164,080 eligible cases of breast cancer, 176 had HIV infection. Compared to HIV-uninfected patients, HIV infected patients had 16% higher cost in initial phase, and 80% higher cost in interim stage of care, and at least two times higher mortality (all-cause and breast cancer-specific), after accounting for competing risk. Among disabled enrollees, HIV-infected patients had higher risk of all-cause and breast cancer-specific mortality, compared to HIV-uninfected patients.

INTERPRETATION

Female fee-for-service Medicare enrollees with breast cancer experience higher initial and interim phase cost and worse survival in the presence of HIV. This association was also significant among disabled Medicare enrollees. Medicare is the single largest source of federal financing for HIV care. Burden on Medicare will grow exponentially due to higher proportion of disabled among HIV-infected enrollees, longer survival among HIV- infected persons, increased HIV incidence in older adults, and increased age related risk of breast cancer. Future research can identify the pathways via which HIV infection affects cost and mortality, and develop integrated strategies for effective management of concomitant breast cancer and HIV and inform survivorship guidelines.

FUNDING

National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Grant # R21AG34870-1A1.

Breast cancer, human immunodeficiency virus and highly active antiretroviral treatment; implications for a high-rate seropositive region

Sub-Saharan Africa is the region in the world with the most people infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The incidence of breast cancer is also rising in the region. This transcript focusses on the burden of these two diseases when they converge in the same populace. This comprehensive literature review of the topic suggests a trend towards an increasing incidence of breast cancer in the HIV-infected population, and the rationale for such a tendency is hypothesized, especially in the context of the availability of highly active antiretroviral therapy. Besides the age at diagnosis, all other clinical characteristics appear to be similar in HIV-positive and HIV-negative breast cancer populations. Outcomes of the different treatment modalities for breast cancer in HIV-positive patients are also appraised and finally innovative areas of future research are suggested along with plausible recommendations.

Breast cancer in women living with HIV: A first global estimate

There is a growing population of older women living with HIV/AIDS (WLWHA). Breast cancer is a common cancer in women worldwide, but the global number of breast cancers in WLWHA is not known. We estimated, for each UN sub-region, the number and age distribution of WLWHA who were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012, by combining IARC-GLOBOCAN estimates of age-country specific breast cancer incidence with corresponding UNAIDS HIV prevalence. Primary analyses assumed no HIV-breast cancer association, and a breast cancer risk reduction scenario was also considered. Among 16.0 million WLWHA aged 15+ years, an estimated 6,325 WLWHA were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012, 74% of whom were in sub-Saharan Africa, equally distributed between Eastern, Southern and Western Africa. In most areas, 70% of HIV-positive breast cancers were diagnosed under age 50. Among all breast cancers (regardless of HIV status), HIV-positive women constituted less than 1% of the clinical burden, except in Eastern, Western and Middle Africa where they comprised 4-6% of under age 50 year old breast cancer patients, and in Southern Africa where this patient subgroup constituted 26 and 8% of breast cancers diagnosed under and over age 50 respectively. If a deficit of breast cancer occurs in WLWHA, the global estimate would reduce to 3,600. In conclusion, worldwide, the number of HIV-positive women diagnosed with breast cancer was already substantial in 2012 and with an expected increase within the next decade, early detection and treatment research targeted to this population are needed.

Breast Cancer and HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Complex Relationship

Introduction

The number and lifespan of individuals living with HIV have increased significantly with the scale-up of antiretroviral therapy. Furthermore, the incidence of breast cancer in women with HIV is growing, especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, the association between HIV infection and breast cancer is not well understood.

Methods

A literature search was performed to identify articles published in journals pertaining to breast cancer and HIV, with an emphasis on SSA. Selected US-based studies were also identified for comparison.

Results

Among the 56 studies reviewed, the largest study examined 314 patients with breast cancer and HIV in the United States. There is no consensus on whether HIV infection acts as a pro-oncogenic or antioncogenic factor in breast cancer, and it may have no relation to breast cancer. A higher incidence of breast cancer is reported in high-income countries than in SSA, although breast cancer in SSA presents at a younger age and at a more advanced stage. Some studies show that patients with breast cancer and HIV experience worse chemotherapy toxicity than do patients without HIV. Data on treatment outcomes are limited. The largest study showed worse treatment outcomes in patients with HIV, compared with their counterparts without HIV.

Conclusion

HIV infection has not been associated with different clinical presentation of breast cancer. However, some evidence suggests that concurrent diagnosis of HIV with breast cancer is associated with increased therapy-related toxicity and worse outcomes. Systematic prospective studies are needed to establish whether there is a specific association between breast cancer and HIV.

Clinical outcomes in breast cancer patients with HIV/AIDS: a retrospective study

The purpose of the study is to describe what is the presentation of breast cancer in women with HIV, their tolerance to therapy, the most common complications of treatment and their outcomes. Retrospective chart review of patients with HIV diagnosed with breast cancer between January 1, 1989 and December 31, 2013 at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital (UM/JMH) 47 females and 1 male were included in the analysis. The median age of diagnosis was 46 years (IQR 41–52) and 64 % of the women were premenopausal. Median CD4⁺ count was 330 cells/µL (IQR 131–589 cells/µL). 41 % had AIDS at time of diagnosis. 94 % of patients presented with locoregional disease and 6 % with late stage breast cancer. 52 % had ER⁺ tumors. 6 % had HER-2/neu tumor expression and 21 % had triple negative disease. The 5 year PFS was 50 % (95 % CI 34–64 %), the 5 year OS was 44 % (95 % CI 29–58 %), and the Breast cancer-specific survival was 57 % (95 % CI 40–70 %). Death was attributed to breast cancer in 22 patients, AIDS progression in 6 patients, other medical condition in 1, and for 4, the cause was unknown. Serious adverse events were documented in 46 % of patients treated with chemotherapy. Targeted therapy was well tolerated. Patients with HIV/AIDS and breast cancer pose a major challenge for oncologists. Surgery, radiation, and endocrine therapy are well tolerated. Standard dose chemotherapy can have life-threatening side effects which can be managed with growth factor support and antimicrobial prophylaxis. All cancer therapy can be given while continuing with antiviral therapy at full dose.