via AIDSmeds, by Tim Horn Results from a study conducted in the Bronx, New York, serve as an important reminder to HIV care providers: Comprehensive screening for precancerous anal lesions isn’t of importance only to HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM). According to the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes report by researchers at Albert Read More >>

via Aidsmap, by Michael Carter Gay men are not the only group of HIV-positive patients who have an increased risk of anal cancer, according to North American research published in the online edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases. The researchers found that incidence of the cancer was also significantly higher in non-gay HIV-positive men as well as HIV-positive Read More >>

via aidsmap, by Michael Carter A clinic-based intervention offers safe and effective treatment for high-grade pre-cancerous anal lesions, US investigators report in the online edition of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. Doctors at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, used a technique called electrocautery ablation to treat pre-cancerous anal lesions in 232 gay Read More >>

via Positively Aware, by Gary Bucher, MD, FAAFP I have witnessed and taken part in the many changes in HIV care over the past 25 years. At the beginning of the epidemic, silence and fear was the name of the game. It took HIV activists taking control of their health care destiny to force the medical community Read More >>

via Medscape, by Nick Mulcahy In young men who have sex with men (MSM), the human papillomavirus (HPV) quadrivalent vaccine (Gardasil, Merck) reduced the rates of anal intraepithelial neoplasia (AIN), compared with placebo, according to an international team of investigators. The study on the vaccine was published in the October 27 issue of the New England Journal Read More >>

via Medpage Today A vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV) protects women against two strains of the virus that causes anal cancer, researchers reported. The vaccine (Cervarix) against HPV strains 16 and 18 offered “strong protection” against anal infection in a study whose main goal was to assess the efficacy of vaccination against cervical infection and pre-cancerous lesions, Read More >>

via AIDSmeds The antiretroviral (ARV) drug lopinavir (found in Kaletra) is able to kill cervical cells infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV)—cells that can go on to become cancerous—according to a study published online May 5 in the journal Antiviral Therapy. HPV is one of the most widely spread viruses in the world. Transmitted through sexual contact, Read More >>

via AIDS Patient Care and STDs Isabella Rosa-Cunha, Vincent A. DeGennaro, Rene Hartmann, Clara Milikowski, Andres Irizarry, Brenda Heitman, Orlando Gómez-Marín, Gordon M. Dickinson. AIDS Patient Care and STDs. April 2011, 25(4): 213-219. doi:10.1089/apc.2010.0233. Abstract Despite the higher risk of anal cancer among HIV-infected individuals currently there are no national or international guidelines for anal dysplasia screening. Read More >>

Via Aidsmap, by Michael Carter Prevalence and incidence of high-grade pre-cancerous anal lesions in HIV-positive men who are taking antiretroviral therapy are high, Canadian investigators report in the online edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases. A low nadir CD4 cell count and infection with HPV types 16 and 18 were associated with an increased risk of developing high-grade Read More >>

IRMA Scientific Vice Chair Ian McGowan and his research/life partner, Ross Cranston (also a member of the IRMA Steering Committee) are featured in CUE Pittsburgh this month. They talk about our favorite topic – rectal microbicides – and a trial taking place right in Pittsburgh that gay men can get involved in. The article, below, starts on Read More >>