Matthias Egger

Cervical cancer risk in women living with HIV across four continents: A multicohort study

We compared invasive cervical cancer (ICC) incidence rates in Europe, South Africa, Latin and North America among women living with HIV who initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART) between 1996 and 2014. We analyzed cohort data from the International Epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) and the Collaboration of Observational HIV Epidemiological Research in Europe (COHERE) in EuroCoord. We used flexible parametric survival models to determine regional ICC rates and risk factors for incident ICC. We included 64,231 women from 45 countries. During 320,141 person‐years (pys), 356 incident ICC cases were diagnosed (Europe 164, South Africa 156, North America 19 and Latin America 17). Raw ICC incidence rates per 100,000 pys were 447 in South Africa (95% confidence interval [CI]: 382–523), 136 in Latin America (95% CI: 85–219), 76 in North America (95% CI: 48–119) and 66 in Europe (95% CI: 57–77). Compared to European women ICC rates at 5 years after ART initiation were more than double in Latin America (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 2.43, 95% CI: 1.27–4.68) and 11 times higher in South Africa (aHR: 10.66, 95% CI: 6.73–16.88), but similar in North America (aHR: 0.79, 95% CI: 0.37–1.71). Overall, ICC rates increased with age (>50 years vs. 16–30 years, aHR: 1.57, 95% CI: 1.03–2.40) and lower CD4 cell counts at ART initiation (per 100 cell/μl decrease, aHR: 1.25, 95% CI: 1.15–1.36). Improving access to early ART initiation and effective cervical cancer screening in women living with HIV should be key parts of global efforts to reduce cancer‐related health inequities.

Cancer in HIV-positive and HIV-negative adolescents and young adults in South Africa: a cross-sectional study

Objective To determine the spectrum of cancers in adolescents and young adults (AYAs) living with and without HIV in South Africa. Design Cross-sectional study with cancer records provided by the National Cancer Registry (NCR) and HIV records from the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS). Setting and participants The NHLS is the largest provider of pathology services in the South African public sector. The NCR is a division of the NHLS. We included AYAs (aged 10–24 years) diagnosed with cancer by public health sector laboratories between 2004 and 2014 (n=8479). HIV status was obtained through record linkages and text mining. Primary and secondary outcomes We determined the spectrum of cancers by HIV status in AYAs. We used multivariable logistic regression to describe the association of cancer in AYAs with HIV, adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity and calendar period. We imputed (post hoc) the HIV status for AYA with unknown HIV status. Results 8479 AYAs were diagnosed with cancer, HIV status was known for 45% (n=3812). Of those whose status was known, about half were HIV positive (n=1853). AYAs living with HIV were more likely to have Kaposi’s sarcoma (adjusted OR (aOR) 218, 95% CI 89.9 to 530), cervical cancer (aOR 2.18, 95% CI 1.23 to 3.89), non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (aOR 2.12, 95% CI 1.69 to 2.66) and anogenital cancers other than cervix (aOR 2.73, 95% CI 1.27 to 5.86) than AYAs without HIV. About 44% (n=1062) of AYAs with HIV-related cancers had not been tested for HIV. Conclusions Targeted HIV testing for AYAs diagnosed with cancer, followed by immediate start of antiretroviral therapy, screening for cervical precancer and vaccination against human papilloma virus is needed to decrease cancer burden in AYAs living with HIV in South Africa.

Cervical precancer and cancer incidence among insured women with and without HIV in South Africa

AbstractHIV infection increases the risk of developing cervical cancer; however, longitudinal studies in sub‐Saharan Africa comparing cervical cancer rates between women living with HIV (WLWH) and women without HIV are scarce. To address this gap, we compared cervical precancer and cancer incidence rates between WLWH and women without HIV in South Africa using reimbursement claims data from a medical insurance scheme from January 2011 to June 2020. We used Royston‐Parmar flexible parametric survival models to estimate cervical precancer and cancer incidence rates as a continuous function of age, stratified by HIV status. Our study population consisted of 518 048 women, with exclusions based on the endpoint of interest. To analyse cervical cancer incidence, we included 517 312 women, of whom 564 developed cervical cancer. WLWH had an ~3‐fold higher risk of developing cervical precancer and cancer than women without HIV (adjusted hazard ratio for cervical cancer: 2.99; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.40‐3.73). For all endpoints of interest, the estimated incidence rates were higher in WLWH than women without HIV. Cervical cancer rates among WLWH increased at early ages and peaked at 49 years (122/100 000 person‐years; 95% CI: 100‐147), whereas, in women without HIV, incidence rates peaked at 56 years (40/100 000 person‐years; 95% CI: 36‐45). Cervical precancer rates peaked in women in their 30s. Analyses of age‐specific cervical cancer rates by HIV status are essential to inform the design of targeted cervical cancer prevention policies in Southern Africa and other regions with a double burden of HIV and cervical cancer.