© 2000 by Oxford University Press
Journal of the National Cancer Institute Monographs, No. 28, 0VI-0vi,
2000
© 2000 Oxford University Press
Introduction
Affiliations of authors: E. G. Feigal, Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, National Cancer Institute,Bethesda, MD; J. E. Karp, Greenebaum Cancer Center, University of Maryland, Baltimore.
Correspondence to: Ellen G. Feigal, M.D., National Institutes of Health, Bldg. 31, Rm. 3A44, Bethesda, MD 20892.
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INTRODUCTION |
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 Top Introduction |
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Scientists, clinicians, health care workers, and community and patient advocates from around the world gathered in May 1999 at two major conferences focused on acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-associated cancers, i.e., the Third National AIDS Malignancy Conference and the International Symposium on HIV, Leukemia, and Opportunistic Cancers. The Third National AIDS Malignancy Conference, sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, was held at the National Institutes of Health campus in Bethesda, MD. The International Symposium on HIV, Leukemia, and Opportunistic Cancers, sponsored by the International Association for Comparative Research on Leukemia and Related Disorders (IACRLRD) and the Harvard AIDS Institute and cosponsored by the Leukemia Society of America, the International AIDS Society, and the Pasteur Institute of Morocco, was held in Morocco. This monograph contains a selection of the papers presented at these two multidisciplinary meetings.
AIDS, caused by the retrovirus known as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), was first recognized two decades ago. Since that time, scientists have made much progress in understanding the etiology, pathogenesis, and pathophysiology of this devastating disease. The study of AIDS has generated important concepts that apply broadly to stem cell biology and immunobiology. In turn, these basic scientific discoveries have served as a springboard for exciting therapeutic advances that hold great promise with respect to deterring, reversing, and, in some cases, preventing progressive HIV disease.
AIDS remains a major killer throughout the world. A particular challenge is the link to certain types of malignancies, driven at least in part by the prolongation of survival in the face of impaired immunity. The molecular and clinical dissection of these complex diseases is highly instructive with regard to settings where immunodeficiency promotes or permits tumorigenesis—for instance, post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders. The entire area of viral oncogenesis continues to be informed by AIDS-related malignancies, in particular the tumorigenic roles of Epstein-Barr virus and human papillomaviruses, and the etiologic relationship of human herpesvirus 8 to disparate malignancies such as Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and primary effusion lymphomas. In turn, these malignancies provide a pivotal testing ground for antiviral and immunomodulatory strategies, including antiangiogenesis and cytokine-based approaches, adoptive immunotherapy, vaccine development, and gene-based strategies that could have a major impact on a broad spectrum of cancers.
Ultimately, however, the major goal of AIDS research is to prevent progressive HIV infection and HIV-induced immunosuppression. The impact of multitargeted, highly active antiretroviral therapy is already being felt in terms of AIDS-associated KS. Moreover, the ability to preserve and, in some instances, to induce regeneration of a competent immune system stands to have a future impact on the incidence of virally induced lymphoproliferative diseases and virally related epithelial tumors. Most importantly, the ability to deliver the current and future advances to the entire global population is essential to eradication of the worldwide devastation that continues to result from AIDS infection.
The next conference focused on AIDS malignancy is the Fifth International AIDS Malignancy Conference, which will take place on April 23–25, 2001, in Bethesda, MD. It will include sessions on human papillomavirus, Epstein-Barr virus, and Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus. Registration and other conference information are available on the website http://ctep.info.nih.gov/AIDSOncoResources. A summary of the Fourth International AIDS Malignancy Conference is available on the website http://hiv.medscape.com/conferences/malignancy2000.
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