Purpose of Review
To review current knowledge of different cancer states affecting women with HIV infection.
Recent Findings
With improved survival of persons with HIV in the post-cART era, the landscape of malignancies in this population has greatly changed with fewer AIDS-defining malignancies (ADM) and a growing number of non-AIDS defining malignancies (NADM). Women, however, continue to represent a vulnerable population at risk for certain ADM and NADM such as cervical, anal, and breast cancer. Human papilloma virus-mediated cancers disproportionately burden women in resource-poor settings such as Subsaharan Africa. For cancers such as Kaposi’s Sarcoma, lung cancer, liver cancer, and colorectal cancer, women share a lower burden of disease compared to their male counterparts. However, there remains a dearth of evidence characterizing these disease states specifically among women.
Summary
Cancer in women with HIV continues to be a major source of morbidity and mortality worldwide, especially in low-income countries. Screening strategies, primary prevention through vaccination against human papillomavirus and viral hepatitis, and treatment for HIV with combined antiviral therapy remain cornerstones in cancer prevention.