Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Carcinoma Cervix

Problem statement: Carcinoma of the cervix is the second leading cause of death in women in the world. Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) which plays a major role in the etiology of cervical cancer is said to have the same mode of transmission as the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Hence the curiosity to learn the prevalence, incidence and association of cervical cancer in HIV positive patients paves the way for the present study. Approach: Forty patients who were positive for HIV were scrutinized for other diseases at our hospital. The patients underwent gynaecological examination at the department of obstetrics and gynaecology. The blood samples of the patients were tested by both the Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and confirmed by Western Blot in the Serology Department. The cervical biopsies were examined microscopically in the Department of Pathology. Results: Two of the patients had invasive cervical carcinoma and were undergoing radiotherapy for the same. One patient was detected HIV positive when his spouse was diagnosed with cervical invasive carcinoma. A total of three out of forty patients had cervical cancer. Therefore the prevalence of invasive cervical cancer in HIV infected patients is 7.5%. Conclusion: A percentage of 7.5 is nearly close to the prevalence of 6 and 5% reported by other studies. This study therefore emphasized the association of cervical cancer and possibly the human papilloma virus with HIV infection. Further studies using HPV DNA probes in concurrence with HIV testing in patients with carcinoma cervix and intraepithelial lesions would contribute much and confirm the association of HPV and HIV co-infection.