Disseminated Kaposi’s sarcoma without cutaneous involvement Benjamin Shepard, DO, Dustin Tompkins, DO, Damon Baker, DO, and Jeffrey Stroup, PharmD
Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) is a low-grade vascular tumor caused by infection with human herpesvirus 8. Prior to the AIDS epidemic, KS was rare in the United States. With the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy, KS has become far less common, now occurring at a rate of about 6 cases per million people each year. It is still seen most commonly in those infected with HIV, and cutaneous manifestations represent the most common presentation. In this case, we describe a patient with disseminated AIDS-associated KS lacking cutaneous manifestations.
aposi’s sarcoma (KS) was first described in 1872 by Moritz Kaposi, a Hungarian dermatologist, as an “idiopathic multiple pigmented sarcoma of the skin” (1). KS is a low-grade vascular tumor associated with human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8), also known as the KS-associated herpesvirus (2). KS can be classified into four types, organized by the clinical context in which it develops: classic, endemic, iatrogenic, and AIDS associated (2, 3). The most common of these is AIDS associated, occurring at a rate of about 6 cases per million people each year (4). AIDS-associated KS demonstrates wide clinical variability, ranging from minimal disease presenting incidentally to a rapidly progressive neoplasm resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. KS is most notable for its cutaneous involvement, characterized by dermal purplish, reddish blue, or dark black macules, plaques, and nodules (5). This well-documented lesion is AIDS defining and is not incredibly uncommon in those with a CD4 T cell count
Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) is a low-grade vascular tumor caused by infection with human herpesvirus 8. Prior to the AIDS epidemic, KS was rare in the United States. With the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy, KS has become far less common, now occurring at a rate of about 6 cases per million people each year. It is still seen most commonly in those infected with HIV, and cutaneous manifestations represent the most common presentation. In this case, we describe a patient with disseminated AIDS-associated KS lacking cutaneous manifestations.
aposi’s sarcoma (KS) was first described in 1872 by Moritz Kaposi, a Hungarian dermatologist, as an “idiopathic multiple pigmented sarcoma of the skin” (1). KS is a low-grade vascular tumor associated with human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8), also known as the KS-associated herpesvirus (2). KS can be classified into four types, organized by the clinical context in which it develops: classic, endemic, iatrogenic, and AIDS associated (2, 3). The most common of these is AIDS associated, occurring at a rate of about 6 cases per million people each year (4). AIDS-associated KS demonstrates wide clinical variability, ranging from minimal disease presenting incidentally to a rapidly progressive neoplasm resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. KS is most notable for its cutaneous involvement, characterized by dermal purplish, reddish blue, or dark black macules, plaques, and nodules (5). This well-documented lesion is AIDS defining and is not incredibly uncommon in those with a CD4 T cell count
