No abstract

A proportional increase in ADC compared with other ADIs and a marked increase in the median CD4 cell count at ADC diagnosis have occurred since the introduction of HAART in Australia. These changes suggest that HAART has a lesser impact on ADC than on other ADIs, with the poor CNS penetration of many antiretroviral agents a possible explanation.

People with HIV with mild immune deficiency prior to AIDS were at increased risk of anal cancer, but this may reflect other risk factors. Other cancers occurred only later in the course of HIV infection. This is reassuring evidence that people with HIV who are only mildly immune deficient may not be at increased risk of non-AIDS-defining cancers, but larger studies with longer periods of follow-up are needed to confirm this.

Population-based incidence rates of AIDS related KS and NHL have decreased since the widespread use of potent anti-retroviral therapies in Australia. NHL incidence decreased less than KS, and NHL is now the most common AIDS-associated cancer in Australia.