Bernadine R. Donahue, MD

The first 15 years of the AIDS pandemic can be summarized simply by the oxymoron "constant change." The syndrome unfailingly has presented new challenges and demanded nearly continual refinement of our patterns of management. In the future, progressively more effective antiretroviral therapy paradoxically may permit infected patients to live longer and fall victim to more HIV-related and HIV-independent malignancies. Swift's review of the role of radiation therapy in the setting of HIV infection therefore provides a useful "snapshot" of current standards and a necessary warning of likely changes to come. Several points warrant emphasis.