A study in the May 10 online edition of the American Cancer Society journal Cancer shows that the number of HIV-positive people with Kaposi's sarcoma, a rare cancer that was once common among early AIDS patients, has declined sharply since the arrival of highly active antiretroviral therapy. The annual incidence of the cancer among HIV-positive adults fell 39% between 1994 and 2003, according to a multicenter study of nearly 10,000 European HIV patients. The researchers say KS was the least likely to be reported by HAART users taking anti-HIV drugs the longest or in those who achieved high CD4-cell counts through antiretroviral therapy, which boosts natural defenses against the disease.
'Patients who start HAART should experience a reduction in the risk of Kaposi's sarcoma if the CD4 count starts to rise,' the researchers say. The study was the first large-scale research project to conclusively prove a link between combination anti-HIV therapy and the decline in cases of KS.
