Oncological challenges for an ageing population living with HIV

: Improvements in survival and changing patterns of transmission mean that the population of people living with HIV (PLWH) is ageing. Increasing age is a risk factor for many varieties of cancer, including most non-AIDS-defining malignancies. Moreover, the premature ageing described in PLWH and the development of cancer share many molecular features. As a consequence, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of PLWH who are diagnosed with cancer. The treatment of older HIV-positive patients with cancer requires careful attention to details. It is particularly important to take into account comorbidities, pharmacological drug interactions, and opportunistic infection prophylaxis when deciding on clinical management for these patients. Thus, cancer in the ageing population living with HIV poses many challenges for both HIV physicians and oncologists.