Cancer in people with AIDS in New Jersey

A total of 2,460 persons with AIDS (PWA) and cancer were identified--2,159 men and 301 women--among 22,382 men and 7,931 women reported with AIDS from 1979-1995 in New Jersey. Of these, 50% were diagnosed with Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), 33% with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), and the remainder with other cancers, including lung and bronchus, oral, cervical, Hodgkin's disease, and digestive other than anal. The proportions of PWA who also had cancer, specifically KS and NHL, varied significantly by gender, race, and mode of HIV transmission. These findings are discussed in terms of risk factors in addition to immunosuppression that may account for the higher rates of cancer among PWA than the general population. Cancer prevention and detection measures likely will become more important as PWA survive longer.