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Cancer Knowledge and Opportunities for Education Among HIV-Infected Patients in an Urban Academic Medical Center

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Abstract

HIV-infected patients frequently present with advanced stage cancer. It is possible that late stage presentation may be related to lack of cancer knowledge and/or barriers to care. Questionnaires were administered to 285 adult HIV-infected patients to evaluate knowledge of cancer risk factors and symptoms and barriers to care between 2011 and 2012. Differences in mean and percent scores by group were assessed using a t test for independent samples and chi-square analysis, respectively. Respondents were predominantly male (64 %), African-American (86 %), and low income (60 % < $10,000/year). Thirty-four (12 %) had been diagnosed with cancer, and 169 (59 %) had a family history of cancer. The mean knowledge score was 17.5 out of 24 questions (73 %). Mean scores were not significantly different by sex, age, race, or income. Respondents with a college education scored significantly higher than those with less than a high school education (p < 0.01). In unadjusted analysis, a higher proportion of patients with a personal/family history of cancer (74 %) scored in the highest quartile (>70 % correct) compared to those without any personal history of cancer (62 %) (p = 0.03). There was a higher level of cancer knowledge in this population compared to studies that have evaluated the HIV-uninfected population. Nevertheless, there were knowledge deficits, suggesting the need for further education about cancer to improve earlier detection rates and, ultimately, outcomes.

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Acknowledgments

All authors declare no conflicts of interest. DJR received support from a Paul Calabresi Clinical Oncology Training Program K12 award. These data were presented in part at IDWeek 2013 in San Francisco, California in October 2013.

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Correspondence to Lydia H. Fisher.

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LHF, BLG, and DJR conceived the study. LHF acquired the data. All analyzed and interpreted the data. Drafting of the manuscript was done by LHF and DJR. All revised the data. All approved the final manuscript.

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Fisher, L.H., Stafford, K.A., Fantry, L.E. et al. Cancer Knowledge and Opportunities for Education Among HIV-Infected Patients in an Urban Academic Medical Center. J Canc Educ 30, 319–326 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-014-0714-y

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