Breast cancer in women with HIV/AIDS: report of five cases with a review of the literature.

Background: The association of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection with breast carcinoma is unclear. With improved survival of HIV-infected patients due to better understanding and treatment of the disease, there is likely to be an increase in incidence of breast cancer in women with HIV infection.

Methods: The medical records of 305 patients with breast cancer seen between January 1995 and December 2000 at Harlem Hospital Center, New York, where approximately 1,000 HIV-infected patients are treated yearly, were reviewed with attention to age, breast cancer stage at presentation, and patient survival.

Impact of a cancer screening program on breast cancer stage at diagnosis in a medically underserved urban community.

Background: Our previous report showed that the disparity in breast carcinoma survival between black and white women because of advanced stage of disease at presentation in poor black women is related to their low socioeconomic status and lack of health insurance. This observation led to establishment of a community-oriented free cancer screening service.

Study Design: To evaluate the impact of screening on breast cancer stage at diagnosis, analysis of data from the Harlem Hospital Tumor Registry between 1995 and 2000 was performed and compared with our 1964-1986 report.