HIV-related lung cancer in Uganda: a cohort study

Abstract

Background There are few reports on lung cancer among people with HIV (PWH) in Sub-Saharan Africa. In this report, we describe a cohort of PWH and lung cancer at the Uganda Cancer Institute. Methods This retrospective cohort of PWH and lung cancer was managed at the Uganda Cancer Institute between 2008 and 2018. Sociodemographic and clinical data were abstracted from the patient charts. The median survival from diagnosis to death, loss-to-follow up or 31st December 2018, was estimated. Results There were 18 people with HIV and lung cancer. The median (interquartile range, IQR) age was 49.5 (38.8–56.0) years, 11 (61.1%) were women and 5 (27.8%) were smokers. Of the 18 PWH, 13 (72.2%) were on antiretroviral therapy and the median (IQR) CD4 count (n = 13) was 380 (243.5–595) cells per mm3. Difficulty in breathing (88.9%), chest pain (78.6%, n = 11), cough (76.5%, n = 17) and weight loss (72.2%) were the commonest symptoms while pleural effusions were observed in 12 (66.7%). In this cohort, 8 (44.4%) were presumptively treated for tuberculosis before the diagnosis of lung cancer. Seven (38.9%) had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 3. Non-small cell lung cancer was the predominant histological type observed in 17 (94.4%) of whom 14 (82.4%) had adenocarcinoma. Majority of PWH had stage IV disease (88.9%). The median (IQR) survival was 3.3 (1.1–13.2) months and all were either dead (72.2%) or lost-to-follow up (27.8%) at five years from diagnosis. Conclusion People with HIV and lung cancer in Uganda report low rates of smoking, present with advanced disease and post very poor survival rates. There is need for biomarkers for early detection of lung cancer in HIV.

Neutrophil–Lymphocyte and Platelet–Lymphocyte Ratios in Distinguishing Lung Cancer in People with HIV

“…Controls were apparently healthy PLWH who were randomly selected from three HIV clinics in Uganda. The study methods of the primary studies are described elsewhere [ 23 , 24 ]. Briefly, a census of cases with HIV-related cancer was conducted from medical records at the UCI.…”

“…Study Design, Population, and Setting. This comparative analysis involves secondary data from a cohort of PLWH with lung cancer (cases) [23] and a cross-sectional study of randomly selected PLWH without lung cancer (controls) [24]. Cases were PLWH with histologically confirmed primary lung cancer who received treatment from the Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) between 2008 and 2018.…”