Anal Cancer Precursor Lesions in HIV-Infected Persons: Tissue Human Papillomavirus Type Distribution and Impact on Treatment Response.

BACKGROUND

Data on tissue distribution of human papillomavirus types in anal high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions are limited and the impact on treatment outcomes poorly understood.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to investigate potential predictors of treatment failure after electrocautery ablation, including human papillomavirus type(s) isolated from index lesions.

DESIGN

This was a retrospective cohort study.

SETTINGS: The study was conducted at a tertiary academic referral center in New York City.

PATIENTS: Seventy-nine HIV-infected patients with a diagnosis of anal high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions between January 2009 and December 2012 were included, and genomic DNA was extracted from biopsy tissue.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The prevalence of human papillomavirus types in index lesions and surveillance biopsies after electrocautery ablation were analyzed to evaluate treatment response.

RESULTS

Of 79 anal high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, 71 (90%) tested positive for ≥1 human papillomavirus type; 8 (10%) had no human papillomavirus detected. The most common type was 16 (39%), followed by 33 (15%). Human papillomavirus type 18 was seen in 3%. Sixty-one patients (77%) underwent electrocautery ablation and had subsequent surveillance biopsies. Surveillance biopsies yielded benign findings or low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions in 31 (51%) of 61 and recurrent high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions in 30 (49%) of 61 patients (mean follow-up: 35 mo). Ablation response did not differ significantly based on baseline demographics, smoking history, history of anogenital warts, mean CD4 T-cell count, antiretroviral-therapy use, and HIV viral load (<50 copies/mL). The recurrence of high-grade lesions was not significantly associated with high-risk human papillomavirus types detected in index lesions.

LIMITATIONS: Human papillomavirus genotyping in surveillance biopsies was not performed.

CONCLUSIONS

Anal high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions in HIV-infected patients contain a wide range of human papillomavirus types, and individual lesions commonly harbor multiple types concomitantly. Recurrence of anal high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions after electrocautery ablation occurs frequently and is not affected by high-risk human papillomavirus types. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/A833.