Malignancies in children with human immunodeficiency virus infection - our experience at Chandigarh, North India

Abstract

Background: With improved survival in children living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection (CLHIV), malignancies are being increasingly recognized. Patients and methods: Among the CLHIV registered at our institute from January 1994 to March 2015, children with malignancy were analysed in detail. Results: In total, 734 children affected by HIV were registered. Out of these, 11 children (9 boys, 2 girls) were diagnosed to have malignancy. Malignancy was the presenting feature of HIV infection in 4 children. High-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) was the most common malignancy noted in 9 of 11 (81%) children, whereas the remaining 2 children had Hodgkin's lymphoma. Survival in our cohort was 80% among children in whom chemotherapy was initiated, and overall survival was 36% (4 of 11 children). Conclusion: NHL was the most common malignancy in CLHIV in our cohort. Low-conditioning chemotherapy protocols along with initiation of anti-retroviral therapy resulted in improved outcomes in CLHIV with malignancy.