Systemic HIV-non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the era of HAART. Natural history

In the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), systemic non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) represented the most frequent cancer associated to HIV infection. In contrast to Kaposi's sarcoma and primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) which incidence have been declining after introduction of HAART, systemic NHL-HIV has relatively stable remained. Systemic HIV related NHL are markedly heterogeneous both histologically and clinically and this clinicophatological heterogenity reflects variability in the molecular lesions associated to these lymphomas and immunological status of these patients. The introduction of HAART has substantially modified the approach to HIV related lymphomas. The results of recent monoinstitutional study of Aviano Cancer's Institute on 235 patients have suggested that HAART would otherwise allow a long life expectancy with longer disease free survival and overall survival. In fact the reduced of morbidity of AIDS patients bought by HAART justified the use of aggressive antineoplastic therapies.