Global Health Asia-Pacific July 2022 | Page 33

Treatment could prevent anal cancer in people with HIV

Treatment could prevent anal cancer in people with HIV

New research could change standard of care for at-risk populations

Removing anal precancerous tumours in people living with HIV reduced the risk of developing anal cancer by half , according to a large US study . Almost all anal cancers are caused by human papillomavirus infections that create so-called high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions ( HSIL ), which in some cases can turn malignant .

��e ’ ve now shown for the first time that treating anal HS�L is effective at reducing the incidence of anal cancer in a very high-risk group of people — people living with HIV ,” lead author Dr Joel Palefsky of the University of California said in a press release .
The study involved 4,459 individuals living with HIV , aged 35 or older , who either received treatment for HSIL or active monitoring , which currently is the standard approach in the clinic . The group who had their HSIL destroyed with a heat-based treatment saw a 57 percent reduction in the number of people who developed cancer in the following two years compared to those who didn ’ t receive the therapy .
“ The data support treating anal HSIL as the standard of care for people living with HIV who are 35 years of age or older ,” said Dr Palefsky , adding that the treatment could also be considered for other groups without HIV but at increased risk for anal cancer , including people who are immunocompromised or HIV-negative men who have sex with men .
Though anal cancer is rare in the general population , the malignancy is the fourth most common cancer among people living with HIV , who can see an increased incidence of up to 50 fold .
Light-activated immunotherapy might advance brain cancer treatment
The approach promises to improve surgery and reduce risks of relapse

A

double therapy that makes tiny cancer cells more visible during surgery while boosting the immune system to attack them could help doctors effectively remove glioblastoma , a common and aggressive form of brain cancer .
Developed at The Institute of Cancer Research ( ICR ) in London , the new approach was tested during surgery on mice and involves a fluorescent dye along with an anti-tumour compound that can be activated by shining light on it . This makes cancer tissues glow , allowing surgeons to better pinpoint and remove them while also triggering the compound to kill cancerous cells .
Glioblastoma develops in sensitive areas of the brain that are hard to operate on due to the risk of damaging them . As a result , residual bits of cancer cells can be left behind after surgery , leading to possible relapse in the future . The new therapeutic approach promises to reduce such risk by improving surgery and stimulating the immune system to target cancer cells .
“ Brain cancers like glioblastoma can be hard to treat and sadly , there are too few treatment options for patients . Surgery is challenging due to the location of the tumours , and so new ways to see tumour cells to be removed during surgery , and to treat residual cancer cells that remain afterwards , could be of great benefit , � Dr Gabriela Kramer-Marek , study leader at the ICR , said in a press release .
GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com JULY 2022
31