Time to Cancer Treatment and Chemotherapy Relative Dose Intensity for Patients With Breast Cancer Living With HIV

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Infectious Diseases
• Clinical Research

Background:

• Patients with breast cancer and comorbid HIV face higher mortality rates.
• Understanding treatment disparities is crucial for improving outcomes in this population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the time to cancer treatment initiation and relative dose intensity (RDI) of chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer with versus without HIV.
• To identify potential challenges faced by patients with HIV undergoing breast cancer treatment.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective, matched cohort study involving women diagnosed with breast cancer between 2000 and 2018.
• Matched 66 women with HIV and 132 women without HIV based on study site, cancer stage, and diagnosis year.
• Compared time to treatment initiation and RDI using regression models; analyzed chemotherapy toxicities.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in median time to first cancer treatment between groups (48.5 days with HIV vs. 42.5 days without HIV).
• Significantly lower overall RDI in patients with HIV compared to those without (0.87 vs. 0.96; P=.01).
• Higher incidence of grade 3 or higher neutropenia in patients with HIV (36.1% vs. 8.6%).

Conclusions:

• Patients with breast cancer and HIV may experience reduced RDI during chemotherapy, indicating potential dose reductions, delays, or discontinuations.
• This highlights a need for targeted supportive strategies to manage chemotherapy in this vulnerable patient group.
• Further research is warranted to optimize breast cancer treatment for patients with HIV.