HODGKIN'S LYMPHOMA IN PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV: EPIDEMIOLOGY AND CLINICAL MANAGEMENT

After the introduction of combination Antiretroviral Therapy (cART), survival of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) has improved, bringing to the appearance of new health problems. Among these problems, there is an increased risk to develop malignancies. Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL) is a curable malignancy, suspected to be associated with Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) infection. Median age of HL incidence in PLWHs is 30 years, after approximately 7 and a half years from the HIV infection diagnosis. HL is significantly more frequent in PLWHs than in the general population. As a matter of fact, the incidence of this disease is 8-fold higher than the general population during the pre-cART era, and the difference worsened, reaching a 13-fold higher incidence during the cART era. Early diagnosis is crucial. The detection of cancer in an early stage improves the outcome of patients, indeed. The aim of this paper was to review the epidemiological characteristics and the diagnostic and therapeutic management of HL in HIV infected patients.