Hepatocellular carcinoma in HIV positive patients

Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has dramatically changed the naturalhistory of HIV-1-infected patients leading to increased survival and a betterquality of life. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infectionsare common among HIV-1-infected subjects and represent the most important riskfactors for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Whether HIV plays a direct role inhepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) pathogenesis remains to be established.HCCclinical course depends on stage of cancer disease, performance status andcomorbidities. Therapeutic options include liver transplantation, localantiblastic chemotherapy and biological drugs. In the HIV setting few data areavailable about treatment options. The increased longevity of patients with HIVimposes new strategies for prevention and therapeutic management of patients. Theaim of this article is to provide an up-to-date review of HIV-related HCC in the HAART era.