AIDS-related Cancers/HIV Infection

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) attacks and weakens the body's immune system. Being infected with HIV does not mean that a person has AIDS. However, if left untreated, HIV infection can damage the immune system and progress to AIDS. AIDS is diagnosed in people with HIV if they develop an AIDS-defining illness (an illness that is very unusual in someone who is not infected with HIV) or if their CD4 white blood cells fall below a certain level. Some cancer types are more likely to occur in people who are infected with HIV. The most common types are Kaposi sarcoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Kaposi Sarcoma

There are a number of different types of Kaposi sarcoma (KS), a cancer that causes lesions (abnormal tissue) to grow under the skin, in the lining of the mouth, nose, and throat, or in other organs. The lesions are usually purple and are made of cancer cells, new blood vessels, and white blood cells. KS is different from other cancers in that lesions may begin in more than one place in the body at the same time.

Epidemic KS is the type that occurs in people with AIDS. Over time, epidemic KS spreads to other parts of the body and may cause fever, weight loss, or diarrhea. With new treatments for AIDS, KS has become less common in the United States, affecting only about 7 people per million each year.*

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) occurs in 4 percent to 10 percent of people with AIDS and tends to be aggressive in nature. It is a cancer that starts in the white blood cells of the lymph system, part of the body's immune system, and may spread to other organs. Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL), a disease in which cancer cells form in the lymph tissue of the brain and/or spinal cord, occurs in 20 percent of all NHL cases in AIDS patients.

*American Cancer Society

AIDS-related Cancers/HIV Infection Clinical Trials

The Center for Cancer Research (CCR), NCI's largest Division doing research on campus, conducts AIDS-related/HIV infection clinical trials at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Md. NCI accepts referrals for these trials through its Clinical Trials Referral Office at 1-888-NCI-1937 (1-888-624-1937).

NCI is currently conducting the following trials for patients with AIDS-related cancer/HIV infection. Click on the trials below for additional details, including summaries of eligibility criteria, study outline, and information on how to contact the principal investigators and their staff directly.