Therapy Insight: AIDS-related malignancies—the influence of antiviral therapy on pathogenesis and management

Patients with HIV infection are at an increased risk of malignancies, especially Kaposi's sarcoma and certain B-cell lymphomas. Highly active antiretroviral therapy has helped to reduce the incidence of many HIV-associated tumors, but as the number of people living with AIDS is increasing, AIDS-associated malignancies will probably rise, posing a significant treatment challenge. Yarchoan et al. discuss the pathogenesis of AIDS-related malignancies, and describe the successful treatments for Kaposi's sarcoma and lymphomas using treatments based on viral, vascular or other pathogenesis-based targets.