Purpose: To evaluate and determine predictors of squamous cell carcinoma of the anus (SCCA) outcomes in the highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) era for HIV-positive and -negative individuals using large national Veterans Affairs (VA) Administration databases. Patients and Methods: We used the VA administrative databases to perform a retrospective cohort study in 1,184 veterans diagnosed with SCCA between 1998 and 2004. We calculated HIV infection rates and used logistic regression to identify epidemiologic factors that were associated with HIV infection. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards models were calculated to compare survival between HIV-positive and HIV-negative veterans. Results: In our cohort, 175 patients (15%) were HIV positive. The median age of the HIV-negative and -positive patients was 63 and 49 years, respectively (P < .001). Individuals with HIV were eight times more likely to be male (P = .01) and three times more likely to be African American (P < .001). There were no differences between HIV-positive and HIV-negative individuals in the receipt of treatment. The 2-year observed survival rates were 77% and 75% among HIV-positive and HIV-negative individuals, respectively. In multivariate Cox analysis, significant predictors of survival were age, sex, metastasis at diagnosis, and comorbidity score. HIV infection did not affect survival. Conclusion: A noteworthy proportion of individuals with SCCA in the VA system are HIV positive. HIV-associated SCCA seems mainly to be a disease among younger men. Survival of SCCA is equivalent between HIV-positive and HIV-negative individuals in the HAART era. Treatment should not be withheld or deintensified based on HIV status.

PURPOSE: Compared with people living without HIV (PWOH), people living with HIV (PWH) and cancer have traditionally been excluded from immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) trials. Furthermore, there is a paucity of real-world data on the use of ICIs in PWH and cancer. METHODS: This retrospective study included PWH treated with anti–PD-1- or anti–PD-L1-based therapies for advanced cancers. Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Objective response rates (ORRs) were measured per RECIST 1.1 or other tumor-specific criteria, whenever feasible. Restricted mean survival time (RMST) was used to compare OS and PFS between matched PWH and PWOH with metastatic NSCLC (mNSCLC). RESULTS: Among 390 PWH, median age was 58 years, 85% (n = 331) were males, 36% (n = 138) were Black; 70% (n = 274) received anti–PD-1/anti–PD-L1 monotherapy. Most common cancers were NSCLC (28%, n = 111), hepatocellular carcinoma ([HCC]; 11%, n = 44), and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC; 10%, n = 39). Seventy percent (152/216) had CD4+ T cell counts ≥200 cells/µL, and 94% (179/190) had HIV viral load <400 copies/mL. Twenty percent (79/390) had any grade immune-related adverse events (irAEs) and 7.7% (30/390) had grade ≥3 irAEs. ORRs were 69% (nonmelanoma skin cancer), 31% (NSCLC), 16% (HCC), and 11% (HNSCC). In the matched mNSCLC cohort (61 PWH v 110 PWOH), 20% (12/61) PWH and 22% (24/110) PWOH had irAEs. Adjusted 42-month RMST difference was –0.06 months (95% CI, –5.49 to 5.37; P = .98) for PFS and 2.23 months (95% CI, –4.02 to 8.48; P = .48) for OS. CONCLUSION: Among PWH, ICIs demonstrated differential activity across cancer types with no excess toxicity. Safety and activity of ICIs were similar between matched cohorts of PWH and PWOH with mNSCLC.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a chronic viral infection that affects approximately 3% of the world's population.¹ Based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, HCV is the most common chronic blood-borne infection in the United States, with approximately 1.6% of the US population or 4 million Americans infected.^2,3 Currently, HCV is responsible for substantial morbidity and mortality in the United States resulting from chronic active hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Studies have shown an increase in the incidence of HCV-related liver disease, with HCV infection now the leading cause of liver transplantation in the United States.^4-6