Immune Status and Associated Mortality After Cancer Treatment Among Individuals With HIV in the Antiretroviral Therapy Era

Abstract

IMPORTANCE Immunologic decline associated with cancer treatment in people with HIV is not well characterized. Quantifying excess mortality associated with cancer treatment-related immunosuppression may help inform cancer treatment guidelines for persons with HIV.OBJECTIVE To estimate the association between cancer treatment and CD4 count and HIV RNA level in persons with HIV and between posttreatment CD4 count and HIV RNA trajectories and all-cause mortality. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTSThis observational cohort study included 196 adults with HIV who had an incident first cancer and available cancer treatment data while in the care of The Johns Hopkins HIV Clinic from January 1, 1997, through March 1, 2016. The study hypothesized that chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy in people with HIV would increase HIV RNA levels owing to treatment tolerability issues and would be associated with a larger initial decline in CD4 count and slower CD4 recovery compared with surgery or other treatment. An additional hypothesis was that these CD4 count declines would be associated with higher mortality independent of baseline CD4 count, antiretroviral therapy use, and risk due to the underlying cancer. Data were analyzed from December 1, 2017, through April 1, 2018.EXPOSURES Initial cancer treatment category (chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy vs surgery or other treatment). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURESPost-cancer treatment longitudinal CD4 count, longitudinal HIV RNA level, and all-cause mortality.RESULTS Among the 196 participants (135 [68.9%] male; median age, 50 [interquartile range, 43-55] years), chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy decreased initial CD4 count by 203 cells/μL (95% CI, 92-306 cells/μL) among those with a baseline CD4 count of greater than 500 cells/μL. The decline for those with a baseline CD4 count of no greater than 350 cells/μL was 45 cells/μL (interaction estimate, 158 cells/μL; 95% CI, 31-276 cells/μL). Chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy had no detrimental association with HIV RNA levels. After initial cancer treatment, every 100 cells/μL decrease in CD4 count resulted in a 27% increase in mortality (hazard ratio, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.08-1.53), adjusting for HIV RNA level. No significant increase in mortality was associated with a unit increase in log 10 HIV RNA after adjusting for CD4 count (hazard ratio, 1.24; 95% CI, 0.94-1.65). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCEIn this study, chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy was associated with significantly reduced initial CD4 count in adults with HIV compared with surgery or other treatment. Lower CD4 count after cancer treatment was associated with an increased hazard of mortality. Further research is necessary on the immunosuppressive effects of cancer treatment in adults with HIV and whether health care professionals must consider the balance of cancer treatment efficacy against the potential cost of further immunosuppression. Monitoring of immune status may also be helpful given the decrease in CD4 count after treatment and the already immunocompromised state of patients with HIV.

Immuno-virological status and its associated factors among HIV-positive patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy at delgi primary hospital, northwest Ethiopia, 2020/2021: A cross-sectional study

“…HIV-infected patients on HAART have shown a remarkable reduction in AIDS-related clinical impacts such as mortality, morbidity, and associated psychosocial problems. This is because the risk to develop AIDS-related mortality and the poorer therapeutic outcome are heavily dependent on the immune system, viral suppression, and the supportive nutritional status of the individuals [ 16 , 17 , 18 ].…”

Epidemiological Characteristics and the Development of Prognostic Nomograms of Patients With HIV-Associated Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma

“…In this study, chemotherapy and radiotherapy were related with OS and DSS in patients with HIV-associated CTCL, but significantly decreased OS and DSS in patients, which was different from previously reported results. The prognosis of patients with HIV infection-associated tumors after chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy is related to their immune status, and lower CD4 counts in patients after treatment are associated with an increased risk of death ( 38 ). Another study showed that HIV patients with a CD4 count <200 cells/μL before treatment had an increased likelihood of toxicity after chemotherapy and radiation therapy, which may affect patient survival ( 39 ).…”

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