Kaposi's sarcoma
From Standard of Care
Most common neoplasm seen in the AIDS population with a substantial decrease in incidence since the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy.
Multicentric angioproliferative disorder that frequently involves the skin.
Incidence among recipients of solid organ transplant 500 times the rate of the general population.
20,000 times more common in patients with AIDS than the rate in general population.
Human herpesvirus 8 etiologically linked to KS.
Herpesvirus 8 is a gammavirus that contains genes with angiogenic activityH
The skin is the most common site of presentation.
AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma tends to be multicentric, often involving mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal tract and occurring in atypical locations.
Some patients may respond to HAART treatment, particularly those naïve to antiretroviral treatment and with a small tumor burden.
AIDS related aggressive disease generally treated with liposomal anthracyclines plus HAART, with a 70% response rate.
Liposomal anthracycline therapy for AID related aggressive disease not curable with present treatment.
More widely dispersed lesions with frequent lymph node involvement and poorer response to therapy than classic forms.
Radiosensitive tumor with response rates from 80-90% in most lesion types.
A significant percentage of patients with HIV-KS will respond to combination anti-retroviral therapy alone.
The goal of therapy for KS is palliation, and there is no evidence that achieving a complete response is curative.
Radiation therapy generally reserved for patients with limited disease that is causing pain or other symptomatology.
