HIV testing among financially-disadvantaged women diagnosed with cervical cancer in South Carolina

The purpose was to describe HIV testing conducted among women diagnosed with cervical cancer (CxCa). CxCa is an HIV/AIDS-associated cancer and more common among HIV-positive women because of sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and immunocompromised status. This was an observational study of South Carolina women identified from linking Medicaid claims and Breast and Cervical Cancer Program (BCCP) databases. The International Classification of Diseases for Oncology, 3rd Edition (ICD-O-3) CxCa diagnosis code (C530-C539) was used to identify 282 women diagnosed with CxCa. Participants were enrolled in Medicaid for at least one month in the first year of being enrolled in the BCCP and >9 months in each subsequent year between January 1, 2005-December 31, 2009. Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes for a rapid (86701-92, 86702-92, 86703-92) or blood (86689, 87390, 87534, 87535, 87536) HIV test was used to determine if an HIV test had been ordered since CxCa diagnosis. The sample was 54.6% white (Median age = 49 years) and 39.4% black (Median age = 52 years). Those less than aged 40 were excluded (24.8%; n=70) due to lower CxCa incidence. Only 7.5% (n=16) of the remaining 212 women had been tested for HIV since being diagnosed with CxCa. Routine HIV testing is recommended for persons aged 13-64 if HIV status is unknown. Knowledge of the HIV status of women diagnosed with CxCa is important to afford prompt linkage to specialty care that will improve cancer and overall health outcomes.