AIDS-associated lymphomas in children

Lymphomas are the most common malignant neoplasms in patients with HIV infection. Over the past decades, the use of standard antitumor treatment regimens along with combined antiretroviral therapy has shown a significant improvement in the survival rates of patients with HIV-associated lymphomas. In this review, we discuss the frequency of HIV/AIDSassociated lymphomas, their clinical features and recent advances in therapy. We present our own experience in the diagnosis and treatment of 5 cases of malignant lymphomas in children with HIV infection over a 30-year period (from 1989 to 2019 years). The predominance of aggressive variants of lymphomas in the pediatric cohort of HIV-infected patients, deeper immunosuppression due to the initial immaturity of the immune system, and the need for simultaneous antiretroviral and antitumor therapy are the main postulates in the work of an oncohematologist treating HIV/AIDS–associated lymphomas in children. Effective antiretroviral therapy in combination with a full arsenal of accompanying therapy allows for the full implementation of modern antitumor treatment, including targeted drugs and transplantation technologies. This approach makes it possible to obtain survival rates of children with HIVassociated lymphomas almost similar to those in the group of patients without HIV infection.