Cancer Treatment Disparities in People With HIV in the United States, 2001-2019

Q: What is the purpose of the study on cancer treatment disparities in people with HIV?

The study evaluates cancer treatment disparities among people with HIV and assesses how these disparities change over time.

Q: How were outcomes and disparities measured from 2001 to 2019?

Using data from the HIV/AIDS Cancer Match Study, the research estimates adjusted prevalence odds ratios for receiving any cancer treatment and standard therapy among local-stage patients, with trend analyses over time.

Q: Which groups of people with HIV were less likely to receive cancer treatment?

Black individuals, people who inject drugs, and those aged 65 years and older were less likely to receive cancer treatment.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Eliana

People with HIV (PWH) experience worse cancer outcomes, partly driven by inequities in cancer treatment access and delivery. This study evaluates cancer treatment disparities among PWH and tests how these disparities change from 2001 to 2019 across multiple cancer types, including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, and cancers of the cervix, lung, anus, prostate, colon, and female breast. Outcomes include receipt of any treatment and standard therapy for local-stage disease, using adjusted prevalence odds ratios with trends over time.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

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Cancer disparities and outcomes in PWH

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Original Reports | Cancer Prevention and Control Cancer Treatment Disparities in People With HIV in the United States, 2001-2019 Jennifer K. McGee-Avila, PhD, MPH1 ; Gita Suneja, MD, MS2 ; Eric A. Engels, MD, MPH1 ; Anne F. Rositch, PhD, MSPH3 ; Marie-Josephe Horner, PhD, MSPH4 ; Qianlai Luo, PhD1 ; Meredith S. Shiels, PhD MHS1 ; and Jessica Y. Islam, PhD, MPH5 DOI [https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.23.02366](https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.23.02366) | ABSTRACT | | | --- | --- | | PURPOSE | People with HIV (PWH) have worse cancer outcomes, partially because of inequities in cancer treatment. We evaluated cancer treatment disparities among PWH, including an assessment of changes in disparities over time. | | METHODS | We used data from the HIV/AIDS Cancer Match Study, a population-based HIV and cancer registry linkage to examine diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), and cancers ofthe cervix, lung, anus, prostate, colon, and female breast. Outcomes included receipt of (1) any cancer treatment and (2) standard therapy among patients with local-stage cancer. We assessed associations between HIV and each outcome by estimating adjusted prevalence odds ratios (aORs) with 95% CI and trends over time. We identiﬁed predictors of nonreceipt of cancer treatment in PWH. | | RESULTS | From 2001 to 2019, compared with people with cancer without HIV (n 5 2,880,955), PWH (n 5 16,334) were more likely to not receive cancer treatment for cervical cancer (aOR, 2.03 [95% CI, 1.52 to 2.70]), DLBCL (aOR, 1.53 [95% CI, 1.38 to 1.70]), HL (aOR, 1.39 [95% CI, 1.19 to 1.63]), lung cancer (aOR, 1.79 [95% CI, 1.65 to1.93]), prostate cancer(aOR, 1.32 [95%CI, 1.21 to1.44]), colon cancer(aOR, 1.73[95%CI, 1.43 to2.08]), and breast cancer(aOR,1.38[95%CI,1.07 to 1.77]). Similar associations were observed in PWH with local-stage cancers although no difference was observed for anal cancers. The association between HIV and nonreceipt of cancer treatment signiﬁcantly decreased over time for breast, colon, and prostate cancers (all P trend <.0001), but PWH remained less likely to receive treatment in 2014-2019 for DLBCL, cervix, and lung cancers. Among PWH, Black individuals, people who inject drugs, and those 65 years and older were less likely to receive cancer treatment. | | CONCLUSION | Disparities in receipt of cancer treatment persist for PWH in the United States in contemporary time periods. Solutions to address inequitable receipt of cancer treatment among PWH are urgently needed. | ACCOMPANYING CONTENT Appendix Accepted February 21, 2024 Published March 21, 2024 J Clin Oncol 42:1810-1820 Published by American Society of Clinical Oncology View Online Article Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives 4.0 License INTRODUCTION In the United States, cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among an aging population of people with HIV (PWH) .1 ,2 PWH and cancer have higher cancer-speciﬁc mortality rates than patients with cancer without HIV.2 Poorer survival is not limited to cancers with a viral etiology, and previous studies have shown that worse outcomes among PWH with cancer persist after adjustment for differences in patient demographics, cancer stage, and treatment.3 Poor cancer outcomes and elevated cancer-speciﬁc mortality among PWH compared with the general population are likely driven by complex interconnected biologic and social factors, including disparities in access to and delivery of cancer treatment. In fact, although PWH are frequently diagnosed at advanced stages, PWH with cancer are less likely to receive any cancer treatment compared with patients with cancer without HIV, including palliative care for metastatic disease.4 Suneja et al were among the ﬁrst to demonstrate disparities in curative treatment delivery to PWH using the National Cancer Institute HIV/AIDS Cancer Match (HACM) Study.3 , 5 Subsequent studies have examined disparities in cancer treatment delivery to

FAQs

What is the purpose of the study on cancer treatment disparities in people with HIV?

The study evaluates cancer treatment disparities among people with HIV and assesses how these disparities change over time.

How were outcomes and disparities measured from 2001 to 2019?

Using data from the HIV/AIDS Cancer Match Study, the research estimates adjusted prevalence odds ratios for receiving any cancer treatment and standard therapy among local-stage patients, with trend analyses over time.

Which groups of people with HIV were less likely to receive cancer treatment?

Black individuals, people who inject drugs, and those aged 65 years and older were less likely to receive cancer treatment.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Eliana