Loading
Viral Associated Cancers and Disorders / Multiple and Secondary Primary Cancers · Journal article
Cancers · September 10, 2026
Early or partial results. Treat as a signal, not a conclusion.
This is a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of cancer prevalence and inflammatory biomarkers in 566 PLWH from a single Italian centre. NADCs predominated (70.9%), and a composite inflammatory score based on IL-6, CRP, D-dimer, and monocyte counts showed weak differentiation between cancer types and association with CD4+ counts, but the study lacks a comparator and cannot establish whether the composite score predicts cancer risk or improves clinical management.
Retrospective cross-sectional study. 566 PLWH in Ferrara, Italy; 64 (11.3%) had a history of cancer (79 total cancer diagnoses).. n = 566. Ferrara, Italy.
Cancer prevalence 11.3% (95% CI 8.7–13.9%) among 566 PLWH; 79 total diagnoses in 64 participants: 23 ADCs (29.1%) and 56 NADCs (70.9%) Most cancer diagnoses (82.3%) had inflammatory scores 0–1; 17.7% had scores 2–4, with similar distributions between ADCs and NADCs (17.4% vs. 17.9%; p = 0.962) D-dimer elevation more frequent in NADCs than ADCs (42.9% vs. 21.7%)
Safety was not reported in the material analysed. Check the source before drawing any conclusion about harm.
The findings highlight that NADCs are increasingly prevalent in treated PLWH but suggest that routine inflammatory biomarkers do not clearly differentiate cancer types or validate the proposed composite score. Clinicians should recognize this evidence as exploratory; the composite score requires prospective validation before use in clinical practice, and individual biomarker abnormalities (especially D-dimer) warrant further investigation.
Retrospective cross-sectional study of cancer prevalence and inflammatory biomarkers in a single Italian cohort with no comparator group; descriptive and exploratory design that characterizes associations but cannot establish causation or clinical utility of the composite score.
As stated by the source record.
Quoted from the source exactly as published.
The findings highlight that NADCs are increasingly prevalent in treated PLWH but suggest that routine inflammatory biomarkers do not clearly differentiate cancer types or validate the proposed composite score. Clinicians should recognize this evidence as exploratory; the composite score requires prospective validation before use in clinical practice, and individual biomarker abnormalities (especially D-dimer) warrant further investigation.
Graded across the dimensions that decide whether you should act, each from what the source actually supports. There is no single score, and where a dimension was not assessed it says so.
Background/Objectives: Despite effective antiretroviral therapy, cancer remains a relevant comorbidity in people living with HIV (PLWH), with an increasing burden of non-AIDS-defining cancers (NADCs). We assessed cancer prevalence and systemic inflammation using a composite score based on routine inflammatory biomarkers. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study of PLWH in Ferrara, Italy. Cancer history, immunovirological parameters, IL-6, CRP, D-dimer, and monocyte counts were collected. A composite inflammatory score (0–4) was derived from biomarker abnormalities and compared between AIDS-defining cancers (ADCs) and NADCs. Results: Among 566 participants, 64 had a history of cancer (11.3%; 95% CI, 8.7–13.9%), accounting for 79 diagnoses: 23 (29.1%) ADCs and 56 (70.9%) NADCs. Most diagnoses (82.3%) were associated with inflammatory scores of 0–1, whereas 17.7% had scores of 2–4, with similar distributions between ADCs and NADCs (17.4% vs. 17.9%; p = 0.962). D-dimer elevation was more frequent among NADCs than ADCs (42.9% vs. 21.7%). Higher inflammatory scores were significantly associated with lower current CD4+ T-cell counts (p = 0.043). Conclusions: Cancer was a substantial comorbidity among PLWH, with NADCs predominating despite favorable immunovirological status. The composite score integrated routinely available inflammatory, coagulation, and immune parameters, with higher scores associated with lower CD4+ counts. Although inflammatory profiles did not differ significantly between ADCs and NADCs, this finding highlights the complexity of immune dysregulation in PLWH and the limitations of individual circulating biomarkers. Further validation of composite inflammatory scores may provide a clinically accessible framework for characterizing residual immune dysfunction and its relationship with cancer development and outcomes.
Taken from the source record, never inferred. Follow any of these and new work involving them reaches your briefing.