Immunodeficiency and the risk of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2/3 and cervical cancer: A nested case-control study in the Swiss HIV cohort study. International Journal of Cancer
Clifford et al. Clifford et al. aimed to characterize the influence of immunodeficiency and combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) use on the development of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2/3 (CIN2/3) and invasive cervical cancer (ICC) among women infected with HIV. They found that CIN2/3 risk was significantly associated with low CD4+ cell counts, measured as nadir or at CIN 2/3 diagnosis. An increased risk for CIN 2/3 and ICC was also evident even at moderate levels of immunosuppression (200–349 cells/lL). Similar associations were seen for ICC, notably with nadir CD4+. A protective effect of >2-year cART use was seen against CIN2/3.
The findings emphasize a key role for early HIV detection and cART initiation in cervical cancer prevention for HIV-infected women.