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AIDS-Related Cancers
- Article from:
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Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer
- Author:
- Frey, Rebecca J
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Copyright informationCOPYRIGHT 2002 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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AIDS-related cancers
Definition
The AIDS-related cancers are a group of cancers that occur more frequently in persons with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection than in the general population. The most common form of AIDS-related cancer,
Kaposi's sarcoma
(KS), was one of the first indications of the AIDS epidemic in the early 1980s. While the number of new cases of KS has been declining in recent years, the number of AIDS-related lymphomas has been increasing at a rate of 2% to 3% each year.
Description
In order to understand the causes and treatment of AIDS-related cancers, it is useful to begin with a basic description of HIV infection. AIDS, or acquired ...