Lower Survival Among Hiv-Infected Head And Neck Cancer Patients.

Introduction: Incidence of non-AIDS-defining cancers, including head and neck cancer (HNC), is rising among people living with HIV (PLWH). This study compares outcomes of HIV+ and Uninfected HNC patients at a single institution. Methods: Yale Tumor Registry query identified 3,488 HNC patients, including 50 with HIV, for analysis (Clinical Cohort, 2002-2018). Quantitative immunofluorescence (QIF) was performed on tumor tissue among 22 HIV+ and 75 matched Uninfected patients. Results: Within our clinical cohort, HIV+ HNC patients were younger compared to Uninfected patients (55.5 vs. 62.0, p Conclusion: HNC patients with HIV were significantly younger compared to the general HNC population, and experienced lower 1-yr survival with early stage disease. CD8 T cell infiltration, which is associated with improved outcomes, appears lower among PLWH. Further evaluation of HIV-HNC subgroups, with detailed analysis of tumor site, HPV status and treatment disparities, is warranted to better delineate differences in outcome. Citation Format: Syim Salahuddin, Margaret Wu, Javier Perez Irizarry, Teresita Vega, Natalia Isaeva, Kurt Schalper, Wendell G. Yarbrough, Brinda Emu. Lower survival among HIV-infected head and neck cancer patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 418.