Understanding the burden of HIV-related cancers in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province: A 2002-2017 retrospective study

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorMyer, London
dc.contributor.advisorMabunda, Sikhumbuzo
dc.contributor.authorNcinitwa, Akhona
dc.date.accessioned2026-01-13T11:55:35Z
dc.date.available2026-01-13T11:55:35Z
dc.date.issued2025
dc.date.updated2026-01-13T11:45:40Z
dc.description.abstractBackground: The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-related cancers in South Africa are a critical public health issue that echoes trends seen across other low-middle income countries (LMICs). These cancers include Kaposi sarcoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and cervical cancer. Understanding the HIV-related cancer trends and incidence is crucial for achieving improved health outcomes. Therefore, this study aims to understand the HIV- related cancers in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa Methods: This retrospective study used secondary analysis of data generated by the Eastern Cape Cancer Registry linked to the HIV database from the National Health Laboratory Services through probabilistic record linkage to identify and characterise cancer among people living with HIV. Included were cancer cases reported between 1st January 2002 and 31st December 2017 of adult men and women diagnosed with HIV-related cancers. Statistical analysis was done using STATA18.0. A join-point regression model was used to characterise the cancer trends. The Kaplan-Meier curve was used for survival analysis. Results: The sample comprised 1183 eligible cancer patient records, with 1044 (88.3%) females. The HIV prevalence among cancer patients was 74.5%. Specifically, 75.5% of males and 74.3% of females were living with HIV. The trends of Kaposi sarcoma showed an increase between 2002 and 2015 with an annual percentage change (APC) of 17.4%, and between 2015 and 2017, trends decreased with an APC of 22.6%. Cervical cancer trends decreased between 2002 and 2004 with an APC of 14.4%; from 2004 to 2017, there was a sharp increase of 33.2% APC. Kaposi sarcoma had the highest survival median of 3.1 years (p=0.06) for people living with HIV, followed by non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with 2.9 years (p=0.96), and lastly cervical cancer with 2.5 years (p=0.73). Conclusion: The growing burden of cervical cancer and Kaposi sarcoma among people living with HIV remains a problem in the Eastern Cape. Therefore, targeted interventions such as regular screening, early diagnosis, access to appropriate treatment, a system to track treatment adherence and survival rates, appropriate resource allocation, and targeted educational programmes are needed to address the burden.
dc.identifier.apacitationNcinitwa, A. (2025). <i>Understanding the burden of HIV-related cancers in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province: A 2002-2017 retrospective study</i>. (). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Health Sciences ,Department of Public Health and Family Medicine. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42561en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationNcinitwa, Akhona. <i>"Understanding the burden of HIV-related cancers in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province: A 2002-2017 retrospective study."</i> ., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Health Sciences ,Department of Public Health and Family Medicine, 2025. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42561en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationNcinitwa, A. 2025. Understanding the burden of HIV-related cancers in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province: A 2002-2017 retrospective study. . University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Health Sciences ,Department of Public Health and Family Medicine. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42561en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Ncinitwa, Akhona AB - Background: The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-related cancers in South Africa are a critical public health issue that echoes trends seen across other low-middle income countries (LMICs). These cancers include Kaposi sarcoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and cervical cancer. Understanding the HIV-related cancer trends and incidence is crucial for achieving improved health outcomes. Therefore, this study aims to understand the HIV- related cancers in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa Methods: This retrospective study used secondary analysis of data generated by the Eastern Cape Cancer Registry linked to the HIV database from the National Health Laboratory Services through probabilistic record linkage to identify and characterise cancer among people living with HIV. Included were cancer cases reported between 1st January 2002 and 31st December 2017 of adult men and women diagnosed with HIV-related cancers. Statistical analysis was done using STATA18.0. A join-point regression model was used to characterise the cancer trends. The Kaplan-Meier curve was used for survival analysis. Results: The sample comprised 1183 eligible cancer patient records, with 1044 (88.3%) females. The HIV prevalence among cancer patients was 74.5%. Specifically, 75.5% of males and 74.3% of females were living with HIV. The trends of Kaposi sarcoma showed an increase between 2002 and 2015 with an annual percentage change (APC) of 17.4%, and between 2015 and 2017, trends decreased with an APC of 22.6%. Cervical cancer trends decreased between 2002 and 2004 with an APC of 14.4%; from 2004 to 2017, there was a sharp increase of 33.2% APC. Kaposi sarcoma had the highest survival median of 3.1 years (p=0.06) for people living with HIV, followed by non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with 2.9 years (p=0.96), and lastly cervical cancer with 2.5 years (p=0.73). Conclusion: The growing burden of cervical cancer and Kaposi sarcoma among people living with HIV remains a problem in the Eastern Cape. Therefore, targeted interventions such as regular screening, early diagnosis, access to appropriate treatment, a system to track treatment adherence and survival rates, appropriate resource allocation, and targeted educational programmes are needed to address the burden. DA - 2025 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town KW - Cancer KW - Eastern Cape KW - HIV LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2025 T1 - Understanding the burden of HIV-related cancers in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province: A 2002-2017 retrospective study TI - Understanding the burden of HIV-related cancers in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province: A 2002-2017 retrospective study UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42561 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/42561
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationNcinitwa A. Understanding the burden of HIV-related cancers in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province: A 2002-2017 retrospective study. []. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Health Sciences ,Department of Public Health and Family Medicine, 2025 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42561en_ZA
dc.language.isoen
dc.language.rfc3066eng
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Public Health and Family Medicine
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Health Sciences
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subjectCancer
dc.subjectEastern Cape
dc.subjectHIV
dc.titleUnderstanding the burden of HIV-related cancers in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province: A 2002-2017 retrospective study
dc.typeThesis / Dissertation
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationlevelMPH
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
thesis_hsf_2025_ncinitwa akhona.pdf
Size:
4.22 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.72 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download
Collections
Masters