Malignant lymphoma in the HIV-positive patient.

ABSTRACT

The introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) drastically improved performance status, immune function, and life expectancy of HIV-infected individuals. In addition, incidence of opportunistic infections and of AIDS-defining malignancies declined. Nevertheless, aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma still remains the leading cause of AIDS-related deaths. The availability of cART, however, significantly improved the therapeutic options for HIV-positive patients with lymphomas. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, Burkitt's lymphoma, or Hodgkin lymphoma has increasingly become curable diseases. In light of these favorable developments in the treatment of HIV and HIV-associated lymphomas, reduction in treatment-associated toxicities and further improvement of outcome of patients with advanced immune suppression are major requirements for future clinical trials. This review summarizes the current treatment landscape and gives an overview on future needs in HIV-positive patients with lymphoma.