Objective: To review the current literature on the role of radiotherapy in AIDS-related malignancies published since 1997.
Methods: A comprehensive literature review was undertaken to review the recent advances in the role of radiotherapy in the management of AIDS-related malignancies. This was combined with the clinical experience from our two London treatment centres for AIDS-related malignancies. A Medline/Pubmed search was performed for articles published since 1997, the year of the previous review, which also coincides with the widespread usage of highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART). The MESH search terms used were 'HIV or AIDS' and 'radiotherapy'. This search yielded a total of 86 references.
Conclusions: HAART has had a major impact on the role of radiotherapy in AIDS-related malignancy. The use of HAART has led to a decline in the incidence of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and has been associated with an improved prognosis in systemic non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in people with HIV. In addition HAART alone has been successfully used as therapy for early KS lesions. Chemoradiotherapy remains the mainstay of management for anal cancer, has a central role in cervical cancer and non-AIDS defining malignancies in this population.