Carcinoma of the conjunctiva and HIV infection in Uganda and Malawi.

Abstract

HIV infection is strongly associated with an apparent increase in the incidence of conjunctival carcinoma in Africa. While ultraviolet light is probably the prime risk factor and HPV-16 is implicated in a proportion of cases, the interactions of ultraviolet light, HIV, HPVs, and other factors are unclear in the pathogenesis of carcinoma. The disease represents another model of multifactorial epithelial carcinogenesis.