BRONCHOGENIC-CARCINOMA IN PATIENTS SEROPOSITIVE FOR HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS

The purpose of this report is to describe an association between bronc hogenic carcinoma and HIV. Three HIV-seropositive patients are describ ed who developed bronchogenic cancer (two large cell, one adenocarcino ma) before developing an AIDS-defining illness. A critical review of t he literature revealed 22 other patients in which the association of H IV infection and lung cancer is reported. These patients are character ized by a relatively young age at diagnosis (median, 43 years) and pre valence of the adenocarcinoma subtype (13 of 25 patients). Twenty of 2 1 patients had a history of smoking. Among 21 patients for whom data w ere available, 6 patients (28 percent) had AIDS at time of diagnosis o f lung cancer while 11 patients (55 percent) did not have AIDS or AIDS -related complex at diagnosis.