Kaposi's sarcoma and malignant lymphoma are two cancers that are most often associated
with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Recently, other cancers, including cervical
cancer, have been associated with AIDS. The role of HIV in the pathogenesis of these malignancies
is not well understood, and few studies have been done to determine any general
increase in cancers after the onset of the HIV epidemic. This study compared breast cancer
before and during the AIDS period by studying the total Tanzanian Cancer Registry data (1968
to 1996). The mean age among males increased from 50.88 to 52.63 years (p = 0.45) and
among females decreased from 44.79 to 43.23 years (p = 0.005) before and during the AIDS
epidemic, respectively. A statistically significant decrease in the incidence of breast cancer was
observed during the AIDS epidemic period in both males (p = 0.001) and females (p = 0.021).
The male-to-female ratio widened significantly from 0.09:1 to 0.03:1 (p = 0.0001). Further
studies are needed to determine the incidence and observed changes of different cancers,
including breast among patients with HIV/AIDS. J Natl Med Assoc. 2000;92:301-305.)