[Cancer of the lung in patients with HIV infection].

OBJECTIVE

To know the characteristics of lung cancer among patients with HIV-1 infection.

METHOD

The clinical records of patients infected with HIV-1 and lung cancer diagnosed at our institution from January 1991 to April 1995 were reviewed. The epidemiological, clinical, histological and evolutive factors were studied.

RESULTS

A total of 1,258 patients were diagnosed of HIV-1 infection during that period of time. Seven patients out of those 1,258 had also a lung cancer. Six were males. All of them were smokers and had severe immunodepression. In four cases the histological diagnosis was epidermoid carcinoma, in two adenocarcinoma, and in one case undifferentiated large cell carcinoma. Five patients were on advanced stages at diagnosis, and lung cancer was the direct cause of death.

CONCLUSION

The frequency of lung cancer among our patients with HIV-1 infection was 5.5 per thousand, with predominance of epidermoid carcinoma.