STOCKHOLM — A new study published by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm indicates that individuals with HIV and organ transplant recipients experience higher probabilities of developing human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancers. The retrospective case-control study analyzed data from Swedish adults spanning from 1983 to 2024.

People with HIV were found to be 4.50 times more likely to develop any HPV-related cancer when compared to age- and sex-matched controls in the general population. Organ transplant recipients similarly showed an increased likelihood, being 2.23 times more prone to developing any HPV-related cancer compared to controls. The study included 32,093 individuals diagnosed with HPV-related cancers and 320,930 matched controls who were free of any HPV-related cancer.

Among people with HIV, specific cancer types showed varying increased odds. The adjusted odds ratio for anal cancer was 58.79, for penile cancer it was 8.05, and for vulvar cancer it was 7.76. Cervical cancer in people with HIV had an adjusted odds ratio of 2.55. For transplant recipients, the adjusted odds ratio for anal cancer was 2.70, for penile cancer it was 6.01, for vulvar cancer it was 7.07, and for cervical cancer it was 1.87.

The study also detailed risks for various transplant types; heart transplant recipients had an adjusted odds ratio of 2.91 for developing HPV-related cancer, lung transplant recipients an odds ratio of 2.71, kidney transplant recipients an odds ratio of 2.17, and liver transplant recipients an odds ratio of 1.89. No increased associations were observed for HPV-related vaginal or oropharyngeal cancers in either people with HIV or transplant recipients.

In individuals with HIV, lower CD4 counts were associated with higher odds of developing HPV-related cancers. Additionally, lower income and not being married were linked with greater odds of HPV-related cancers among people with HIV. However, associations with sociodemographic factors were less consistent in transplant recipients. Approximately two-thirds of the study participants were women, and about 40% were younger than 50 years at cancer diagnosis. Cervical cancer represented 42% of HPV-related cancers in the study cohort, followed by oropharyngeal cancer at 35%, anal cancer at 9%, vulvar cancer at 7%, penile cancer at 5%, and vaginal cancer at 1%.

Eva Meglic, an MSc at the Karolinska Institutet, commented on the findings. "Overall, our findings reinforce the importance of targeted prevention strategies in immunosuppressed populations and suggest that there is still room to improve both awareness and implementation of preventive measures in clinical practice," Meglic said. She also added, "The findings point to potential disparities in cancer prevention and diagnosis across both populations." The study did not include data on behavioral risk factors such as smoking, sexual behavior, and alcohol use.