Kaposi Sarcoma

What is Kaposi Sarcoma

Kaposi's sarcoma is a cancer of blood vessels which is most common amongst HIV-positive men who have sex with men. Kaposi Sarcoma occurs usually in a child who has recently been inadvertently vaccinated against small pox with live vaccinia virus or has come into contact with an individual with an active vaccinia lesion. Kaposi sarcoma (KS) was named for Dr. Moritz Kaposi who first described it in 1872.

Kaposi Sarcoma typically causes tumors to develop in the tissues below the skin surface, or in the mucous membranes of the mouth, nose, or anus. It may develop at any time during the course of HIV infection. Generally, the greater the immunosuppression the more extensive the kaposi's sarcoma will be.

Treatment of Kaposi Sarcoma

In most cases, epidemic KS causes widespread lesions that erupt at many places on the body soon after AIDS develops. Treatment goals for KS are simple: to reduce the severity of symptoms, shrink tumors, and prevent disease progression. Treatments include:

Freezing with liquid nitrogen ( cryotherapy )
Treatment with radiation
Surgical removal
Injection with anti-cancer drugs such as vinblastine
Topical application of alitretinoin gel (Panretin). This drug is not yet available in New Zealand.