Carcinoma of the penis in a HIV positive patient

A clinical overview of people living with HIV and genitourinary cancer care

The number of people living with HIV infection has been increasing globally. Administration of antiretroviral therapy is effective in controlling the infection for most patients and, as a consequence, people living with HIV (PLWH) now often have a long life expectancy. However, their risk of developing cancer - most notably virus-related cancers - has been increasing. To date, few studies have assessed the risk of genitourinary cancers in PLWH, and robust scientific data on their treatment-related outcomes are lacking. Previous studies have noted that PLWH are at a reduced risk of prostate cancer; however, low adoption and/or availability of prostate cancer screening among these patients might be confounding the validity of this finding. In genitourinary cancers, advanced stage at diagnosis and reduced cancer-specific mortality have been reported in PLWH. These data likely reflect, at least in part, the inequity of health care access for PLWH. Notably, systemic chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy could decrease total CD4+ cell counts, which could, therefore, increase the risk of morbidity and mortality from cancer treatments in PLWH. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have become the therapeutic backbone for many advanced malignancies in the general population; however, most studies validating their efficacy have excluded PLWH owing to concerns of severe adverse effects from immune checkpoint inhibitors themselves and/or related to their immunosuppressed status. To our knowledge, no genitourinary cancer survivorship programme exists that specifically caters to the needs of PLWH. By including PLWH in ongoing cancer trials, we can gain invaluable insights that will help to improve cancer care specifically for PLWH.

The association between penile cancer and HIV infection: A literature review

Penile cancer is a rare malignancy which HIV infection appears to increase the risk of. The magnitude of this risk and the pathogenesis remain unclear. A comprehensive review of the literature was undertaken using conventional search strategies. Twenty-four publications were identified by this methodology, of which nine were case reports and 15 were observational studies. These studies were highly heterogeneous, with varying study designs, populations, and objectives. The risk of penile cancer within HIV-positive individuals is significantly greater than in those without HIV (RR = 3 .7 to 5.8, 3 studies; SIR = 3.8 to 11.1, 4 studies). HIV is also shown to influence disease characteristics, with a four-fold increased risk of death from penile cancer. Moreover, progression from intraepithelial neoplasia occurs earlier in HIV, six years sooner than in HIV-negative men. HIV-positive men have a higher prevalence of HPV infection. Ethnicity is also shown to modulate the relationship between HIV and penile carcinoma, with a higher risk of cancer in Hispanic, compared with Caucasian, HIV-positive men. This review has collated data from diverse sources to improve understanding of the relationship between HIV and penile cancer. This relationship has been quantitatively and qualitatively characterised and highlights areas deserving further enquiry.

A rare case of verrucous carcinoma of penis in an human immunodeficiency virus- infected patient

Cancer is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in human immunodeficiency virus-infected subjects. Verrucous carcinoma is a peculiarly slow evolving, but relentlessly expanding variant of epidermoid carcinoma that is extremely reluctant to metastasize. A 60-year-old unmarried male patient presented with urethral discharge of 3 weeks duration. Dorsal slit of the prepuce revealed an ulceroproliferative growth measuring 3 cm × 3 cm arising from prepuce and involving glans. Biopsy from the growth in the prepuce showed histopathological features of verrucous carcinoma. Partial amputation of the penis was done. Human papillomavirus DNA by polymerase chain reaction was negative. The patient was started on antiretroviral therapy.

A rare case of verrucous carcinoma of penis in an human immunodeficiency virus- infected patient

Cancer is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in human immunodeficiency virus-infected subjects. Verrucous carcinoma is a peculiarly slow evolving, but relentlessly expanding variant of epidermoid carcinoma that is extremely reluctant to metastasize. A 60-year-old unmarried male patient presented with urethral discharge of 3 weeks duration. Dorsal slit of the prepuce revealed an ulceroproliferative growth measuring 3 cm × 3 cm arising from prepuce and involving glans. Biopsy from the growth in the prepuce showed histopathological features of verrucous carcinoma. Partial amputation of the penis was done. Human papillomavirus DNA by polymerase chain reaction was negative. The patient was started on antiretroviral therapy.

Carcinoma of the penis: A cluster of cases in young men

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