Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
U.S. flag
An official website of the United States government

VA Health Systems Research

Go to the VA ORD website
Go to the QUERI website

HSR&D Citation Abstract

Search | Search by Center | Search by Source | Keywords in Title

Incidence and survival for oropharynx and non-oropharynx head and neck cancers among veterans living with HIV.

Mazul AL, Hartman C, Kramer J, White DL, Royse K, Raychaudhury S, Sandulache V, Ahmed ST, Richardson P, Sikora AG, Chiao E. Incidence and survival for oropharynx and non-oropharynx head and neck cancers among veterans living with HIV. Cancer medicine. 2020 Dec 1; 9(24):9326-9335.

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.
   Search Dimensions for VA for this citation
* Don't have VA-internal network access or a VA email address? Try searching the free-to-the-public version of Dimensions



Abstract:

BACKGROUND: People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) have an excess risk for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) compared to the general U.S. population, but little is known about HIV-specific risk factors associated with the incidence and outcomes HNSCC. We aim to identify clinical and HIV-specific risk factors associated with oropharyngeal and non-oropharyngeal HNSCC incidence and outcomes separately. METHODS: We constructed a retrospective cohort study of 45,052 PLWH aged 18 or above from the national Veteran Affairs (VA) Corporate Data from 1999 to 2015. We extracted demographic data and risk factor information, including history of alcohol abuse, smoking, CD4 count (cells/µl), and percent of follow-up time with undetectable HIV viral load as time-updated variables. We calculated the age-standardized incidence rates of oropharyngeal and non-oropharyngeal HNSCC and estimated adjusted hazard ratios (HR). We also examined overall survival using Kaplan-Meier curves and adjusted HR. RESULTS: The standardized incidence rate of oropharyngeal and non-oropharyngeal HNSCC in this veteran cohort of PLWH is 23.0 (95% confidence intervals (CIs): 17.1-28.9) and 55.4 (95% CI: 46.5-64.3) per 100,000 person-years, respectively. Nadir CD4 count = 200 was associated with an increased risk of non-oropharyngeal HNSCC (HR: 1.78; 95% CI: 1.31-2.30 vs > 200). Five-year overall survival of OPSCC (37.0%) was significantly lower than non-oropharyngeal HNSCC (49.1%). CONCLUSIONS: PLWH who receive care in the VA had higher age-adjusted HNSCC incidence rates than reported in the general population, suggesting that HIV and immunosuppression play a role. Additional studies should be conducted to study the interaction between HPV and HIV.





Questions about the HSR website? Email the Web Team

Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.