Early initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in patients newly diagnosed with HIV can cut the prevalence of anal high-risk HPV infection by one-third, a study shows.

The findings, from a systematic review and meta-analysis, also suggest that those on ART with sustained undetectable viral loads could almost halve their risk of anal cancer, the researchers say.

The international team, led by the Catalan Institute of Oncology in Barcelona, Spain, assessed data from 122 studies with 417,000 participants living with HIV, including women, men who have sex with men, and men who have sex with women, to look at the role of ART in reducing HPV infection and cancer.

The researchers found that patients on ART were 35% less likely to have an anal high-risk HPV infection compared with ART-naive patients, with prolonged ART use being associated with a 10% reduction in risk per year.