A case-control study of ocular surface squamous neoplasia (OSSN) in Uganda.

HIV increases the risk of OSSN. Here we investigate other factors in a case-control study from Uganda with 318 cases (48 CIN I, 66 CIN II, 81 CIN III and 123 with invasive disease) and 762 controls. Initial analyses were stratified by HIV serostatus (204 cases and 202 controls were HIV seropositive), but since findings were similar in infected and uninfected people, the combined results are presented here. The risk of OSSN increased with increasing time spent in direct sunlight (p(trend) = 0.003, adjusted for age, sex, residential district and HIV serostatus): compared to those who reported spending up to 1 hr a day in direct sunlight, the risk was 1.7 (95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.2-2.4) in those reporting 2-4-hr exposure and 1.8 (95% CI 1.1-3.1) in those reporting 5+ hr. The risk was also increased among people reporting a previous injury to the affected eye (OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.2-4.5). Pinguecula in the nasal quadrant of the unaffected eye were evident on clinical examination for 98% of cases (293/300) and for 91% of the same quadrant in the right eye (246/271) of controls (OR = 6.4, 95% CI 2.5-16.1). We confirm associations with exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation and with the presence of pinguecula and report a role for previous ocular trauma in the aetiology of OSSN. We did not identify any additional factors that point to an underlying infectious cause, although this is an area of on-going research.

Impact of infection with human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV) on the risk of cancer among children in Malawi - preliminary findings.

BACKGROUND: The impact of infection with HIV on the risk of cancer in children is uncertain, particularly for those living in sub-Saharan Africa. In an ongoing study in a paediatric oncology centre in Malawi, children (aged /= 5 years) and sex) using children with other cancers and non-malignant conditions as a comparison group (excluding the known HIV-associated cancers, Kaposi sarcoma and lymphomas, as well as children with other haematological malignancies or with confirmed non-cancer diagnoses). RESULTS: Of the 586 children recruited, 541 (92%) met the inclusion criteria and 525 (97%) were tested for HIV. Overall HIV seroprevalence was 10%. Infection with HIV was associated with Kaposi sarcoma (29 cases; OR = 93.5, 95% CI 26.9 to 324.4) and with non-Burkitt, non-Hodgkin lymphoma (33 cases; OR = 4.4, 95% CI 1.1 to 17.9) but not with Burkitt lymphoma (269 cases; OR = 2.2, 95% CI 0.8 to 6.4). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, only Kaposi sarcoma and non-Burkitt, non-Hodgkin lymphoma were associated with HIV infection. The endemic form of Burkitt lymphoma, which is relatively frequent in Malawi, was not significantly associated with HIV. While the relatively small numbers of children with other cancers, together with possible limitations of diagnostic testing may limit our conclusions, the findings may suggest differences in the pathogenesis of HIV-related malignancies in different parts of the world.