Abstract

CATANO CORREA, JUAN CARLOS. ANAL CANCER IN THE HIV ERA. Iatreia [online]. 2004, vol.17, n.4, pp.396-403. ISSN 0121-0793.

Anal cancer used to be an uncommon neoplasia that affected mainly women and people aged over 65 years, but recently its incidence has been growing, mostly due to the HIV pandemic, and it will become worse because highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) at the same time that lengthens life expectancy in HIV positive subjects, will increase the possibility to develop anal cancer; it has already been demonstrated that HAART does not prevent the evolution of intraepithelial squamous lesions to anal cancer. Anal cytology has demonstrated to be an useful and cost-effective screening tool for detection of precancerous lesions associated with human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection in the anal canal of homosexual and bisexual men, specially in those that are HIV positive. This article is an update of the state of the art about anal cancer, highlighting the benefits of anal cytology for high-risk populations.

Keywords : ANAL CANCER; ANAL CYTOLOGY; HIV; HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS; INTRAEPITHELIAL NEOPLASIA; LESIONS.

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