Hi,

Can hiv cause liver cancer? My father was diagnized of aids in nov-2006. At that time he had a cd4 count of 23. He had pneumonia, jaundice and tb initially and he recovered from that and his cd4 count also gradually started to increase. In may last year he had a cd4 count of 124. But in Dec last year his cd4 reduced to 111 while his viral load was undetectable. In Jan he was diagnized of liver cancer and he expired last month. I wanted to know the real cause of liver cancer as he had stopped drinking 5 yrs back and moreover he was hepatitis b -ve. Appreciate your response

I am sorry to hear about your father's untimely passing. HIV does not directly cause liver cancer. Liver disease due to Hepatitis B or C can progress more quickly in people who are also co-infected with HIV. Deaths from liver disease are increased in persons with low CD4 counts suggesting that the immune system plays an important role in liver disease and cancers. Since you father's CD4 count was low, that might have been a contributing factor. Thanks Joe