Molecular Basis for Therapy of AIDS-Defining Cancers

More than 25 years into the AIDS pandemic, cancers that develop in individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) continue to challenge epidemiologists, virologists, molecular biologists, immunologists, and clinicians treating affected patients in both developed and resource-limited environments. The recognition that Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) and later, aggressive, B-cell, non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (NHLs) were developing at alarmingly high rates in young adults with an acquired form of immune deficiency predated the discovery of HIV by several years and a diagnosis of either of these tumors became part of the early case definitions of AIDS. These malignancies, both of which are associated with human herpesviruses, and invasive cervical cancer, which is linked to infection with certain human papillomaviruses (HPVs), remain the only cancers considered as “AIDS defining” according to the CDC definition.
The relatively recent widespread availability in developed countries of drug regimens that can effectively suppress HIV infection and maintain or restore cell-mediated immune function has modified the occurrence of at least some HIV associated cancers. In particular, the incidence of KS has decreased markedly, NHL less so, but neither has been eliminated even among individuals receiving apparently effective antiretroviral therapy. At the same time, as HIV-infected individuals live longer – often with incompletely reconstituted immune function – the population at risk for both AIDS-associated cancers and other cancers not specifically associated with HIV infection (but often affecting older individuals or associated with other, known risk factors) has increased. These so-called non-AIDS-defining cancers (NADCs) include those associated with viruses (e.g., anal cancer, penile cancer, Hodgkin’s disease, hepatocellular cancer, Merkel cell cancers) and those associated with environmental factors (e.g., lung cancer, head and neck cancers). In resource-limited settings where antiretroviral therapy has reached only a small fraction of the HIV-infected population, and where infection with the KS herpesvirus (KSHV/HHV-8) and oncogenic HPV types is far more common than in the developed world, KS and invasive cervical cancer continue to be leading causes of morbidity and mortality among HIV-infected individuals. Thus, there is a need to understand the mechanisms involved in the development of these varied tumor types so that we can improve the options available for their prevention and treatment.
In this volume, the editors have assembled expert reviews on the epidemiology of cancer in HIV-infected individuals, the particular challenges of HIV-associated cancer management in resource-limited settings and opportunities for collaborations that can advance both science and clinical care in those settings, and a series of articles that consider the biology of cancers in HIV and suggest ways in which improved insights into tumor pathogenesis may lead to innovative therapeutic strategies. Although these latter articles by no means exhaustively cover the entire spectrum of tumor types or potential mechanism-driven approaches to therapy of HIV-associated malignancies, they give a sampling of the rich possibilities that currently exist for novel therapeutic approaches and should inspire further investigations in this important and challenging area.

Contents

1. The Epidemiology of Cancer in People with HIV
2. Epidemiology and Clinical Characteristics of Non-AIDS-Defining Malignancies
3. HIV-Related Cancer Management in Resource-Limited Settings: A Case Study of Malawi
4. Immunology of HIV-Associated Kaposi Sarcoma
5. Targeting Signal Transduction Pathways for the Treatment of Kaposi Sarcoma
6. Role of NF-κB Inhibitors in HIV-Related Malignancies
7. The Molecular Basis of Lytic Induction Therapy in Relation to Gamma herpesvirus (KSHV, EBV)-Associated, AIDS-Related Tumors
8. Viral Interleukin-6: Molecular Biology and Pathogenesis
9. Targeting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR Pathway in AIDS-Associated Malignancies
10. Restoration of p53 Function by MDM2 Inhibition: Potential Strategy to Treat KSHV-Associated Malignancies
11. Interferon in Kaposi’s Sarcoma Biology and Therapy
12. Metronomic Therapy for HIV-Associated Malignancies
13. Targeting EGFR in HPV-Associated Cancer
14. Cidofovir Against Human Papillomavirus-Associated Diseases 

Book Details

• Hardcover: 456 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 1st edition (June 8, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1441915125
• ISBN-13: 978-1441915122
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches

List Price: $179.00