Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1985. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
ACQUIRED IMMUNODEFICIENCY SYNDROME AND CANCER
Adv Viral Oncol; 5:239-55 1985. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE ICDB/85611490 Ziegler JL; Levy JA; Veterans Admin. Medical Center, San Francisco, CA 94121
Abstract:
The acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) became clinically apparent as an epidemic in the United States in 1981. AIDS outbreak, starting with homosexual men, but spreading to involve many diverse risk groups, has caught the attention of clinicians, basic scientists, social scientists, politicians, and the news media. Two major aspects of AIDS are discussed: immunodeficiency and its relation to viruses and virus-induced neoplasia. The immunopathogenesis of AIDS as it is currently understood is considered. The epidemiologic and virologic links to neoplasms encountered in AIDS, Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and B-cell lymphoma, are described. A hypothesis which interrelates AIDS, viruses, and oncogenesis is presented. Normal and abnormal immune functions reported in patients (pts) with AIDS and AIDS-related complex (ARC) are presented. The opportunistic infections that characterize AIDS are largely facultative intracellular pathogens and reflect a profound abnormality of T cells. B-cell abnormalities are also present in AIDS and ARC. Other immune abnormalities have also been described. The epidemiologic evidence in AIDS points to an infectious agent that is transmitted in a manner similar to hepatitis B virus. The association of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in pts with AIDS and ARC is now well established. There is also a suggestion that Hodgkin's disease also may be more common, but a true increase in incidence is probably not observed, because Hodgkin's disease occurs commonly in young men. As in KS, the highest incidence of NHL is in homosexual men. Two other neoplasms that affect homosexual men are squamous carcinoma of the oral cavity and cloacogenic carcinoma of the rectum. Though pts with these tumors do not have AIDS or ARC, the apparent rising incidence of these tumors point to common risk factors that may involve viruses. (140 Refs)
Keywords: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/*COMPLICATIONS/IMMUNOLOGY Animal B-Lymphocytes DNA Tumor Viruses Human Lymphoma/*ETIOLOGY Male Sarcoma, Kaposi's/*ETIOLOGY T-Lymphocytes/CLASSIFICATION/IMMUNOLOGY Tumor Virus Infections/*COMPLICATIONS JOURNAL ARTICLE REVIEW
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