A large study has found higher rates of numerous cancers among people living with HIV, when compared with the HIV-negative population, aidsmap reports. Publishing their findings in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers followed 86,620 HIV-positive and 196,987 HIV-negative members of the North American AIDS Cohort Collaboration on Research and Design between 1996 and 2009.

The proportion of the respective HIV-positive and HIV-negative populations who developed various cancers by age 75 included: Kaposi sarcoma (KS), 4.4 percent and 0.01 percent; non-Hodgkin lymphoma, 4.5 percent and 0.7 percent; lung cancer, 3.4 percent and 2.8 percent; anal cancer, 1.5 percent and 0.05 percent; colorectal cancer, 1.0 percent and 1.5 percent; liver cancer, 1.1 percent and 0.4 percent; Hodgkin lymphoma, 0.9 percent and 0.09 percent; melanoma, 0.5 percent and 0.6 percent; and oral cavity/pharyngeal cancer, 0.8 percent and 0.8 percent.

The main reason that the risk for certain cancers among the HIV cohort increased over time was that people with HIV were living longer due to antiretroviral treatment. These cancers included anal, colorectal and liver cancers. Cancers for which the risk did not increase over time among people with HIV included lung cancer, melanoma and Hodgkin lymphoma.

To read the study abstract, click here.

To read the aidsmap article, click here.