Prevalence and risk factors of HBV, HCV, and HIV infections among cervical cancer patients

Abstract

Purpose: The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and coinfection in patients with cervical cancer (CC), a public health problem. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study of HBV, HCV, and HIV in all patients from the Brazilian National Cancer Institute diagnosed with CC between 2009 and 2012 was performed. Results: A total of 1,659 patients were enrolled. Eighteen women (1.5%) were positive for HIV, 17 (1.2%) for hepatitis C, and 186 (13.9%) had prior exposure to HBV virus. Coinfection with HIV and HCV was detected in 0.3%, HCV and HBV in 0.2%, and HIV and HBV in 0.6% of the cases. Conclusion: CC patients have a higher prevalence of HIV and HBV infection than the general population in Brazil. The results support the importance of serological evaluation of patients recently diagnosed with CC, since these diseases have a common transmission path and the prognosis of CC can be influenced.