Nonmelanoma skin cancer in HIV-positive patients: A six-year single-institution retrospective review

Background: HIV-positive (HIV+) patients have been demonstrated to have an increased incidence of nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) at 2.1-2.8 times the rate found in HIV negative (HIV-) populations. Rates of NMSC with aggressive subclinical extension (ASE), defined as extensive subclinical tumor spread revealed during Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS), have not been found to be significantly different in HIV+ and HIV− populations in a previous study. However, HIV disease progression (CD4 and CD8 levels and viral load) and NMSC characteristics and their relationship to presence of NMSC with ASE within the HIV+ population remain unclear.