Affiliate Organisation Session 3A: Screening for anal cancer in PLWHIV: a call for action
Tracks
Track 1
| Monday, September 15, 2025 |
| 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM |
Details
People living with HIV are at greatly increased risk of anal cancer. Incidence rates have remained high, even in people with well-controlled immune deficiency receiving long-term anti-retroviral therapy. A large pivotal randomised trial in PLWHIV recently showed that diagnosing and treating high-grade lesions decreased risk cancer risk by 57%. In response, in 2024, the United States Department of Health and Human services guidelines for treating opportunistic infection in PLWHIV added a recommendation for screening using anal cytology and/or anal human papillomavirus infection. Also in 2024, the Royal Australian College of Pathologists submitted a Medical Services Advisory Committee application for the diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Early in 2025, ASHM released Australian guidelines for anal cancer screening in PLWHIV using an algorithm based on anal high-risk HPV testing and triage testing using anal cytology.
Speaker
Dr Mary Poynten
Senior Lecturer
HIV Epidemiology and Prevention Program, Kirby Institute
New Australian Guidelines on screening for anal cancer in PLWHIV
3:30 PM - 3:50 PMBiography
Dr Poynten is a clinical epidemiologist at the Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney. She is the Research Group leader of the Anal Cancer Prevention Group. She has led cohort studies of the natural history of anal HPV and associated diseases, anal cancer screening studies and anal high grade disease treatment trials. She was the chair of the ASHM anal cancer screening guidelines writing committee.
A/Prof Jenny McCloskey
Sexual Health Physician
Royal Perth Hospital, School of Biomedical Sciences University of Western Australia
Screening for anal cancer in the primary care of PLHIV
3:50 PM - 4:00 PMBiography
A/Prof McCloskey is Head of Sexual Health Services at Royal Perth Hospital. She has over 17 years' experience in high resolution anoscopy (HRA) and treatment of genital HPV and high-grade anal intraepithelial neoplasia, specialising in CO2 laser ablation. She established the large HRA diagnostic and treatment service at RPH
Professor Richard Hillman
Senior Staff Specialist
HIV & Immunology, St Vincent's Hospital, Darlinghurstntre
Running a referral clinic for anal cancer
4:00 PM - 4:20 PMBiography
Ms Jane Costello
CEO
Positive Life NSW
Anal cancer screening the perspective of PLHIV
4:20 PM - 4:35 PMBiography
Jane Costello is the CEO of Positive Life NSW and previously the Research and Program Manager at the Kirby Institute UNSW Sydney working across sexual health, surveillance, evaluation, and research. She is dedicated to raising awareness around the lived experience of HIV, and ensuring a person-centred approach to enhance the long-term health and wellbeing of all people living with HIV.
HIV&AIDS Session Chair
Andrew Grulich
Professor and Program Head HIV Epidemiology and Prevention Program
Kirby Institute
