Are there any special considerations when treating a patient with anal cancer who has poorly managed HIV/AIDS?
Answer from: Radiation Oncologist at Academic Institution
In the early days of AIDS, prior to the development of HAART, standard chemoradiation ("Nigro") was very poorly tolerated, and it was necessary to omit or dose-reudce the mitomycin, and many patients could not tolerate the full dose of radiation, stopping treatment early because of toxicity. Outcome...
Answer from: Radiation Oncologist at Academic Institution
While there are some conflicting data, I think the evidence points to treating patients who have well controlled HIV the same as their HIV-negative counterparts. Multiple reports suggest no difference in oncologic outcomes or toxicity based on presence of HIV infection and management with HAART (PMI...