Imaging Findings and Patient Management in HIV-Associated Malignancies

Imaging Findings and Patient Management in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-Associated Malignancies is organized by eRADIMAGING.

Release Date: 8/11/2020
Expiration Date: 9/1/2026

Course Description:
Infection from the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been one of the most destructive and contentious public health crises of the modern era. Once considered a “death sentence,” acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), secondary to HIV infection, was the leading cause of death of young Americans between 1987 and 1995 when the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (ART) revolutionized treatment by addressing many of the infection’s medical sequelae. Despite this therapeutic advance, the risk of cancer and cancer-related mortality is still higher in patients infected with HIV than in noninfected individuals. HIV-infected patients also are diagnosed with malignancies at a younger age, with higher tumor grades, and at later disease stages; these cancers also follow a more aggressive course and have a poorer prognosis, compared with those in non-HIV–infected individuals. A number of AIDS-defining malignancies have been identified, including Kaposi sarcoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and cervical carcinoma. Other non-AIDS–defining cancers are also common in this patient population, among them Hodgkin lymphoma and malignancies of the anus, lungs, liver, and head and neck. Several other conditions mimic the features of malignancy and differentiating between the several neoplastic and nonneoplastic conditions is essential to good clinical management in HIV-infected patients. Imaging studies can be particularly useful in making an early and accurate diagnosis of patients with AIDS-related cancers, distinguishing overlapping presentations, and informing clinical decision-making.

Learning Objectives:
After reading this article, the participant should be able to:
• SUMMARIZE the epidemiological and pathophysiological features characteristic of AIDS-related cancers.
• NAME the several AIDS-defining and non-AIDS-defining cancers and their imaging features.
• EXPLAIN how the imaging findings of HIV-related malignancies can contribute to improved patient management.
• DISTINGUISH the imaging mimics of cancer as they present in HIV-infected patients.

Additional details will be posted as soon as information is available.