Introduction Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL), Kaposi’s sarcoma and invasive carcinoma of cervix are AIDS defining cancers (ADCs) seen in people living with HIV (PLHIV). After the introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) the spectrum of malignancies has changed and the incidence of Non AIDS defining Cancers (NADCs) are increasing as PLHIV live longer.This study describes the pattern of malignancies among PLHIV attending a tertiary care HIV facility.

Methodology This descriptive cross sectional study was carried out at Kasturba Medical College (KMC), Mangalore which is a 500 bedded tertiary care referral institution. The study was conducted among PLHIV diagnosed with malignancy between January 2005 and May 2016. Data of 33 PLHIV was collected by using a semi-structured proforma after obtaining permission from the institutional ethics committee. Data was analysed by using SPSS version 11.5 statistical software.

Results The mean age of our study group was 46.19±7.82 years. Majority of them 18 (54.5%) were males. In the current study 19 (57.6%) had Non AIDS defining cancers and 14 (42.4%) had AIDS defining cancers. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma 9 (27.2%), carcinoma breast 5 (15.2%), invasive carcinoma of cervix 5 (15.2%) and carcinoma of head and neck 4 (12.1%) were the major malignancies seen in our study. Carcinoma lung 3 (9.1%), Hodgkin’s lymphoma 2 (6.1%),carcinoma anal canal 2 (6.1%) and 1 case each of Acute myeloid leukaemia, carcinoma colon and Ewing’s sarcoma was seen in our study. The median CD₄ count at the diagnosis of malignancy was 214 IQR(159-436) cells/μl. In our study 24 (72.7%) patients were on cART at the time of diagnosis of the cancer.

Conclusion In our study the percentage of NADCs was more when compared to ADCs. Non- Hodgkin’s lymphoma was the most common cancer seen in our study population. Kaposi sarcoma was not seen in our study population confirming the fact that it is a rare malignancy among PLHIV in our country. With longer survival of PLHIV in India due to potent cART malignancy will become an important issue for HIV physicians.