Il linfoma di Hodgkin nei soggetti con infezione da HIV

Abstract The advent of combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) has significantly reduced the incidence of AIDS events, including AIDS-defining malignancies. Nevertheless, several cohort studies conducted in the post cART period have reported an increasing risk of non-AIDS-defining cancers. In immunosuppressed patients, Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) occurs more frequently than in the general population. HL is associated with Epstein-Barr Virus in most HIV-patients, but inconsistent clinical observations support both a beneficial and detrimental effect of immune restoration on its development. The role of concomitant antiretroviral treatment was clearly demonstrated in the contest of HL chemotherapy, with significant improvement in complete response, overall survival and event-free survival rates when cART and chemotherapy were combined. In the HIV population, as compared to the general population, an improvement has been reported over the last decades, mainly thanks to more available and adequate treatment chances, leading to comparable outcomes.