HIV and lung cancer: smoking is a greater risk than HIV (CROI 2015 Day 3)

AFAO Health Promotion Officer, Sean Slavin, blogs live from CROI 2015:
 
In a session today at ‪#‎CROI2015‬ on cancer and HIV, lung cancer was highlighted as one of the most prevalent among people with HIV.
The virus plays a role in increased risk, but  researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health reported smoking is a greater risk than HIV, in their presentation: 'Smoking Outweighs HIV-Related Risk Factors for Non–AIDS-Defining Cancers'.

This is a reminder that quitting smoking is the most important single thing that people with HIV can do to reduce their cancer risk.

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This is the latest in a series of research on the risks associated with smoking for people living with HIV. In December 2014, a study with approximately 18,000 HIV positive people found that people living with HIV may lose more years of life through smoking that through HIV.

The study found that smoking doubles the mortality risk for people on HIV treatments, and that the  life expectancy of a 35-year-old HIV-positive man who smoked was on average eight years shorter than that of an HIV-positive non-smoker.

See also:

• Smoking doubles risk of death for patients taking HIV therapy (aidsmap, 16 December 2014)
• Risk factors for lung cancer in people with HIV: smoking vastly outweighs HIV (CROI 2010) (aidsmap, 17 February 2010) 
• AFAO factsheet: the importance of giving up smoking (December 2009)