Similarities in Asymptomatic HIV Infection and Cancer: A Common 'Driver' Hypothesis

Cancer and Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) are associated with chronic oxidative stress, inflammation and immune activation either as a consequence or a cause. Despite well documented characteristic similarities in the two diseases, this has not been exploited for better understanding of carcinogenesis. The purpose of this descriptive study was to review existing studies for knowledge, research gaps in the role of oxidative stress, inflammation, immune activation in cancer and asymptomatic HIV infection; identify similarities, differences to stimulate new research ideas which can accelerate future therapeutic target discoveries. PubMed, ScienceDirect and Google scholar databases were searched using the keywords: oxidative stress, inflammation, immune activation, cancer and asymptomatic HIV infection. Little research has been done on immune evasion, tolerance and oxidative stress-induced inflammation and immune activation as therapeutic targets in both diseases. Senescence and the role of respiratory burst in HIV infection have not been exhaustively studied. Out of a total of 15,788,387 hits, 15, 284,572 hits related to similarities with only 503, 815 relating to the differences between the two diseases. Consequently and after pearling, 89 articles that were directly relevant to the study were selected. After critical appraisal, the identified studies were analyzed, results compared and presented in form of summary tables. Results indicated that chronic oxidative stress, inflammation and immune activation were common drivers of progression in the two diseases. Therefore, better understanding of these drivers might provide new mechanistic insights in carcinogenesis and provide future novel therapeutic targets. This will support the United Nations sustainable development goal (SDG) number 3 on ensuring health lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages.