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AIDS is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which is a virus that attacks and breaks down the immune system -- the body's line of defense against infections and disease. As these defenses weaken, people with AIDS can develop one or more of a group of very serious infections and cancers. Certain cancer types are more likely to occur in people infected with AIDS -- the most common are Kaposi's sarcoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Kaposi's sarcoma -- which can appear as spots, or lesions, on the skin, mucous membranes (moist, inner lining of some organs and body cavities), lungs, and gastrointestinal tract (stomach and intestines) -- was one of the first recognized signs of HIV infection in the early 1980s. Although most cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma -- a group of cancers that arises in the lymphatic system -- are not AIDS-related, this type of cancer is 20 to 50 times more common among people infected with HIV than among those without the virus. Lymphoma that arises in the central nervous system is almost 3,000 times more common in people with the HIV infection, but is very rare if someone is taking medicine (such as highly active antiretroviral therapy, or HAART) to treat the virus.
In this section, you can find information about our expertise in treating patients with AIDS-associated cancers, our services, and our research.
