It all started with the question, “Is your ass getting enough attention?”
It may seem unorthodox, but it has led researchers to discover treatments that may help prevent them. Anal cancer With people HIV/ AIDS.It is still introduced to them Research websiteWith this detailed description: “Check for viral load and check for T cell counts, but what about the anus? Did you know that HIV + half of men have cell changes in the anus due to HPV?”
Anal Cancer / HSIL Outcome Study (ANCHOR) Study, Joel Palefsky, MDwas Release On June 16th The New England Journal of Medicine. Palevsky, an infectious disease expert at the University of California, San Francisco, and his team Cervical cancer With people Human papillomavirus (HPV) will benefit people with HIV / AIDS. The new treatment has reduced the chances of anal cancer by more than 50%.
The team worked for seven years, during which time it tested 4,459 male, female, transgender, and non-binary individuals at 25 sites across the United States. Participants were divided into two groups. Some were treated for high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL), and some were not, but signs of the disease were monitored. These included individuals aged 35 years and older who lived with HIV / AIDS and were found to have abnormal cellular spots on the lining of the rectum.
HSIL What cells do gynecologists look for when performing? Papanicolaou stain specimen..they are Precancerous cells It is common in the cervix of people with HPV. Finding HSIL during a gynecological examination warns clinicians of potential problems.
HSIL is also found in the anal canals of men and women infected with HIV. Therefore, Parefasky hypothesized that these anal HSILs, as well as HPV and cervical cancer, could be a precursor to anal cancer.
Scientists have decided to treat these cells as if they were found in the cervix and see if it reduces the risk of cancer.Doctor used Lidocaine After paralyzing the area, I removed the HSIL with an electrical probe. The team then evaluated whether the treatment prevented people from getting cancer.
In many cases, it turned out to be the case. The study was completed after 30 of the participants developed anal cancer. Of those, 21 did not receive HSIL treatment, but 9 did. This treatment reduced the incidence of anal cancer in patients treated with HSIL by 57%.
Said these results are promising Aasma Shaukat, MD, Director of Outcome Studies, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, NYULangone Health. Shaukaut was not involved in the study. She believes it will cause ripples throughout the field.
“This study supports aggressive and early treatment of HSIL and may change guidelines to reduce the risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma of the anus, away from the careful follow-up of individuals living with HIV. Colon endoscopy Progression and incidence Colorectal cancer“She said in an email interview Medscape Medical News..
Treatment of patients in this group is more important than ever. The number of people living with HIV has increased since the AIDS epidemic began in the 1980s, Palevsky details at a press conference announcing the results of ANCHOR. This is partly due to new infections and partly due to the fact that new treatments allow HIV-infected people to lead longer and healthier lives. Therefore, as HIV-infected people move into the year of sunset, more people are at risk of developing cancer, an age-related illness. Anal cancer is at the crossroads of risk for the elderly infected with HIV.
Say our defense against the risk of cancer in this growing demographic is good Hannah K. Sanov, MDHe was a gastrointestinal oncologist at the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was not involved in this study. It is not currently ready to be applied to the clinic, but it may become a tool in the future. “Whatever we can do to reduce the likelihood that precancerous lesions will progress to actual invasive cancer is very important. This type of preventative work minimizes the burden of cancer on our community. It’s important to keep it down, “Sanov said in an interview. Medscape.
This study was funded by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health and was conducted through the NCI-sponsored AIDS Malignant Tumor Consortium. Shaukat and Sanoff report that there is no relevant financial relationship.
N Engl J Med. Published online on June 16, 2022. Overview
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