Colorectal neoplasia among patients with and without human immunodeficiency virus.

Background: Increasing availability of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has led to prolonged survival and rising incidence of non-HIV-defining cancers among patients with HIV. Compared to the general population, risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) may differ among those with HIV due to immunosuppression, oncogenic viral coinfections, and higher prevalence of risk factors. Methods: We identified patients (age ≥50 years) diagnosed with HIV, prescribed HAART for ≥6 months, and receiving care in two large healthcare systems in Dallas, TX. Patients received colonoscopy between January 2009 and December 2017. We calculated a standardized prevalence ratio as the ratio of observed to expected number of advanced neoplasia (high-risk adenoma or CRC) using an age- and sex-matched cohort of patients without HIV (n=10,250). Results: Among patients with HIV (n=839), about two-thirds (60.1%) had normal findings at colonoscopy; 6.8% had hyperplastic polyps only, 20.4% had low-risk adenomas, 11.7% had high-risk adenomas, and 1.1% had CRC. Prevalence of advanced neoplasia was similar between patients with and without HIV, with a standardized prevalence ratio of 0.99 (95% CI 0.81, 1.19). Conclusions: There was no difference in the prevalence of colorectal neoplasia between patients with and without HIV. Impact: Patients with HIV appear to have similar risk of colorectal neoplasia compared to those without HIV and can therefore follow average-risk CRC screening guidelines.