Descriptive Epidemiology of Melanoma Diagnosed between 2010 and 2014 in a Colombian Cancer Registry and a Call for Improving Available Data on Melanoma in Latin America.

We aimed to improve the available information on morphology and stage for cutaneous melanoma in the population-based cancer registry of the Bucaramanga Metropolitan Area in Colombia. The incidence and survival rates and the distribution of melanoma patients by age, gender, anatomical subsite, and histological subtype were calculated. All 113 melanoma patients (median age 61) were followed up (median time 7.4 years). This exercise (filling in missing information in the registry by manual search of patient clinical record and other available information) yielded more identified invasive melanomas and cases with complete information on anatomical localization and stage. Age-standardized incidence and mortality rates were 1.86 and 1.08, being slightly higher for males. Most melanomas were localized on the lower limbs, followed by the trunk. For 35% of all melanomas, the morphological subtype remained unknown. Most of the remaining melanomas were nodular and acral lentiginous melanomas. Overall global and relative 5-year survival was 61.6% and 71.3%, respectively, with poorer survival for males than females. Melanomas on the head and neck and unspecified anatomical sites had the worst survival. Patients without stage information in their medical files had excellent survival, unlike patients for whom medical files were no longer available. This study shows the possibility of improving data availability and the importance of good quality population-based data.

Reasons for antiretroviral switching in Colombia: A retrospective cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: Long-term use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV infection might lead to the necessity of switching regimens. We aimed to analyze the reasons for the ART switch, the time-to-switch of ART, and its associated factors in a Colombian cohort. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort in 20 HIV clinics, including participants ≥18 years old with confirmed HIV infection who underwent an ART switch from January 2017 to December 2019 with at least 6 months of follow-up. A time-to-event analysis and an exploratory Cox model were performed. RESULTS: 796 participants switched ART during the study period. The leading cause of ART switch was drug intolerance (n = 449; 56.4%) with a median time-to-switch of 12.2 months. The longest median time-to-switch was due to regimen simplification (42.4 months). People ≥50 years old (HR = 0.6; 95% CI (0.5-0.7) and CDC stage 3 at diagnosis (HR = 0.8; 95% CI (0.6-0.9) had less hazard for switching ART over time. CONCLUSIONS: In this Colombian cohort, drug intolerance was the main cause of the ART switch, and the time-to-switch is shorter than reports from other countries. In Colombia, it is crucial to apply current recommendations for ART initiation to choose regimens with a better tolerability profile.

Cardiovascular risk factors and comorbidities in people living with HIV: A cross-sectional multicenter study from Colombia comorbidities in a Colombian PLWHIV population.

INTRODUCTION: HIV is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). There is insufficient information regarding comorbidities and cardiovascular risk factors in the Colombian HIV population. The aim of this study is to describe the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and comorbidities in patients from the HIV Colombian Group VIHCOL. METHODS: This is a multicenter, cross-sectional study conducted in the VIHCOL network in Colombia. Patients 18 years or older who had at least 6 months of follow-up were included. A stratified random sampling was performed to estimate the adjusted prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and comorbidities. RESULTS: A total of 1616 patients were included. 83.2% were men, and the median age was 34 years. The adjusted prevalence for dyslipidemia, active tobacco use, hypothyroidism, and arterial hypertension was 51.2% (99% CI: 48.0%-54.4%), 7.6% (99% CI: 5.9%-9.3%), 7.4% (99% CI: 5.7%-9.1%), and 6.3% (99% CI: 4.8%-7.9%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In this Colombian HIV cohort, there is a high prevalence of modifiable CVD risk factors such as dyslipidemia and active smoking. Non-pharmacological and pharmacological measures for the prevention and management of these risk factors should be reinforced.

Comorbidities among adults living with hiv from two healthcare centers in Colombia / Comorbilidad entre adultos viviendo con VIH en dos centros de atención en Colombia

Objective: To determine the prevalence of comorbidities among adults living with HIV from two healthcare centers in Colombia, and to identify factors associated with comorbidity-free years. Methods: Observational, retrospective medical chart review study. Summary statistics for demographic and clinical characteristics were developed and relationship between comorbidity-free years were analyzed through Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression. Results: 669 clinical charts were included, 71.7% were male and 16.1% were 50 years or older, 69.96% had at least one comorbidity. The most frequent comorbidities were dislipidemia(15.06%), hypertension(5.67%), risk factors were tobacco use(15.33%), alcohol intake(24.36%) and drugs abuse (14.66%). Discussion: These findings are consistent with previous reports showing the underlying processes of patients, producing multiple comorbidities. Conclusions: Significant proportion of patients have comorbidities that may increase risk of other complications or reduced comorbidity-free years. Poly-pharmacy among HIV+ adults need to be addressed to ensure adherence and minimize drug-drug interactions.

Objetivo: Determinar la prevalencia de comorbilidades entre adultos viviendo con VIH en dos centros de atención en Colombia e identificar los factores asociados con años libres de comorbilidad . Metodos: Revisión observacional retrospectiva de historias clínicas. Resumen de estadísticas de características demográficas y clínicas y análisis de correlación entre características clínicas a través de pruebas de Kaplan-Meier y regresión de Cox. Resultados: Se analizaron 669 historias clínicas, 71.7% fueron hombres y 16.1% tuvieron 50 años o más, 69.96% tuvieron al menos una comorbilidad. Las comorbilidades más frecuentes fueron dislipidemia(15.06%), hipertensión (5.67%), los factores de riesgo fueron el uso de tabaco (15.33%), ingesta de alcohol (24.36%) y abuso de drogas (14.66%). Discusión: Estos hallazgos son consistentes con reportes previos que evidencian los procesos subyacentes que llevan a múltiples comorbilidades. Conclusiones: Una proporción significativa de pacientes tiene comorbilidades que pueden aumentar el riesgo de otras condiciones o los años libres de comorbilidad. La polifarmacia en pacientes HIV+ debe hacerse de manera que se asegure la adherencia y se minimicen las interacciones entre medicamentos.