Is There a Proven Link Between Anal Cancer Screening and Reduced Morbidity or Mortality?
Authors: Peter V. Chin-Hong, Nancy A. Hessol, Joel M. Palefsky
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2009)

Letters17 February 2009Is There a Proven Link Between Anal Cancer Screening and Reduced Morbidity or Mortality?Peter V. Chin-Hong, MD, Nancy A. Hessol, MSPH, and Joel M. Palefsky, MDPeter V. Chin-Hong, MDFrom University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143.Search for more papers by this author, Nancy A. Hessol, MSPHFrom University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143.Search for more papers by this author, and Joel M. Palefsky, MDFrom University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-150-4-200902170-00021 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:We appreciate Dr. Katz and colleagues' comments and their efforts to draw attention to this important issue. They are correct: The incidence of anal cancer is not decreasing. Indeed, published data show that the incidence of invasive anal cancer is increasing in men and women worldwide. In a recent review of 39 population-based registries in the United States between 1998 and 2003, invasive anal cancer increased 2.6% per year on average (1). Using California Cancer Registry data, Cress and Holly (2) used age-adjusted incidence rates from 1973 to 1999 (beginning before the period analyzed by Dr. Katz and ...References1. Joseph DA, Miller JW, Wu X, Chen VW, Morris CR, Goodman MT, et al. Understanding the burden of human papillomavirus-associated anal cancers in the US. Cancer. 2008;113:2892-900. [PMID: 18980293] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Cress RD, Holly EA. Incidence of anal cancer in California: increased incidence among men in San Francisco, 1973-1999. Prev Med. 2003;36:555-60. [PMID: 12689800] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Hessol , Pipkin S, Schwarcz S, Cress RD, Bacchetti P, Scheer S. The impact of highly active antiretroviral therapy on non-AIDS-defining cancers among adults with AIDS. Am J Epidemiol. 2007;165:1143-53. [PMID: 17344204] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoComparison of Patient- and Clinician-Collected Anal Cytology Samples to Screen for Human Papillomavirus–Associated Anal Intraepithelial Neoplasia in Men Who Have Sex with Men Peter V. Chin-Hong , J. Michael Berry , Su-Chun Cheng , Joseph A. Catania , Maria Da Costa , Teresa M. Darragh , Fred Fishman , Naomi Jay , Lance M. Pollack , and Joel M. Palefsky Is There a Proven Link Between Anal Cancer Screening and Reduced Morbidity or Mortality? Kenneth A. Katz , Christina A. Clarke , Kyle T. Bernstein , Mitchell H. Katz , and Jeffrey D. Klausner Metrics 17 February 2009Volume 150, Issue 4Page: 284-285KeywordsAIDSAnal cancerCancer screeningHIV infectionsLesionsPopulation statisticsVaccines ePublished: 17 February 2009 Issue Published: 17 February 2009 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2009 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...