Cervical and anal HPV infections in HIV positive women and men

The goal of this review is to summarize recently published epidemiological information that contribute to understanding the natural history of cervical and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and their associated lesions among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected women and men. HIV-positive women and men are more likely to be infected with oncogenic HPV types and to have cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) or anal intraepithelial neoplasia (AIN), lesions that may lead to invasive cervical and anal cancer, respectively. Although the magnitude of the increased risk of cervical or anal cancer in HIV-positive individuals is not clear, it is clear that the risk will remain elevated even in the HAART era. Full screening for CIN remains necessary in HIV-positive women and it is likely that screening for AIN will be beneficial as well to prevent invasive anogenital cancer in long-term AIDS survivors.