Therapeutic efficacy of albuvirtide-based antiretroviral therapy in people living with HIV who have low-level viremia and non-AIDS-defining malignancies: two case reports

• Published in: Retrovirology Vol. 22; no. 1; pp. 6 - 8
• Main Authors: Zhang, Chuantiao, Xie, Tingting, Liu, Yuantao, Cao, Yang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 18.04.2025; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Adult; AIDS (Disease); Albuvirtide; Anti-HIV Agents - therapeutic use; Antiretroviral therapy; Breast Neoplasms - complications; Breast Neoplasms - drug therapy; Brief Report; Cancer; Cancer patients; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - complications; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - drug therapy; Care and treatment; Case report; CD4 Lymphocyte Count; Chemotherapy; Development and progression; Efavirenz; Evidence-based medicine; Female; Health aspects; Highly active antiretroviral therapy; HIV; HIV (Viruses); HIV Fusion Inhibitors - therapeutic use; HIV Infections - complications; HIV Infections - drug therapy; HIV Infections - virology; HIV patients; HIV-1 - drug effects; Humans; Low-level viremia; Lung cancer; Lung Neoplasms - complications; Lung Neoplasms - drug therapy; Male; Middle Aged; Non-AIDS-defining cancers; Patient compliance; Pertuzumab; RNA; Squamous cell carcinoma; T cells; Treatment Outcome; Viral Load; Viremia; Viremia - drug therapy; Case report; HIV; Albuvirtide; Low-level viremia; Antiretroviral therapy; Non-AIDS-defining cancers
• DOI: 10.1186/s12977-025-00662-5
• ISSN: 1742-4690

People living with HIV (PLWH) who experience low-level viremia (LLV) face unique challenges in disease management, particularly when diagnosed with concurrent malignancies. Albuvirtide (ABT), a long-acting HIV fusion inhibitor approved in China, has shown promise in clinical trials for treatment-experienced individuals. However, its efficacy in managing LLV in the context of concurrent malignancies remains under-explored. We report two cases of PLWH with LLV who developed non-AIDS-defining cancers(NADCs). The first individual developed lung squamous cell carcinoma, and the second was diagnosed with breast cancer. Both patients received ABT as part of their optimized antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimen during their cancer treatment course. After treatment optimization, both cases achieved viral suppression (HIV-1 RNA < 50 copies/mL) with improvements in CD4 + T cell counts. Both patients received appropriate cancer treatments according to clinical practice guidelines. The patient diagnosed with lung cancer required an adjustment to his PD-1 inhibitor monotherapy due to intolerance to chemotherapy, whereas the breast cancer patient successfully completed her planned multimodal treatment regimen. These cases suggest potential benefits of ABT-containing ART regimens in PLWH who have LLV and concurrent NADCs. While two cases cannot establish definitive conclusions, they highlight the need for larger studies investigating the role of ABT in this complex clinical scenario.