Short Communication: Differences in 5-Year Survival After Cancer Diagnosis Between HIV Clinic Enrollees and the General U.S. Population

Abstract

A total of 236 people with HIV (PWH) with cancer diagnosed between 1997 and 2014 in the Johns Hopkins HIV Clinical Cohort (JHHCC) were compared with a sample from NCI's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program, presumed to be HIV negative. Using G-computation with random survival forest methods, we estimated 5-year restricted mean survival time (RMST) differences by HIV status. Sensitivity analyses were performed among non-AIDS defining cancers, males, females, and stratifying PWH by CD4 ≤ 200 or >200 cells/mm³ at cancer diagnosis. PWH with CD4 ≤ 200 cells/mm³ had decreased survival compared with those in SEER (−7 months; 95% CI = −13 to −2). Women with HIV and CD4 ≤ 200 cells/mm³ at cancer diagnosis had lower survival than SEER women (−10 months; 95% CI = −18 to −2). In the total population, there was no significant difference in 5-year RMST; however, women with HIV and low CD4 had higher mortality despite accounting for stage at diagnosis and first course of cancer treatment.