Cancer dynamics in HIV-treated patients

Patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are more vulnerable to develop various types of cancer, in particular, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Kaposi’s sarcoma and vulvar cancer. Furthermore, cancers progression tends to be more aggressive in HIV-positive individuals than in HIV-negative ones. In this work, we develop mathematical models to describe the dynamics of cancer growth and HIV infection, when chemotherapy and treatment for HIV, namely, highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) are included. Our findings disclose that HIV control can be impacted by the chemotherapeutic drug injection period and elimination rate. Clinical inferences are drawn.