Clinical manifestations of classical, endemic African, and epidemic AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma

The Viral Etiology of AIDS‐Associated Malignancies

“…The nodular lesion is composed of bundles of proliferating spindle-shaped cells, extravasated lymphocytes and erythrocytes in an abundance of slit-like spaces. These lesions become raised on the skin and sometimes coalesce to form large nodular masses (Friedman-Kien and Saltzman, 1990;Iscovich et al, 2000) There are four epidemiological types of KS recognized: classic, endemic, iatrogenic, and HIV/ AIDSassociated KS. Classic KS is the disease originally described by Kaposi (Kaposi, 1872).…”

“…It is seen primarily in men, with a male:female ratio of 10-15: 1. It is infrequently detected in children and young adults (Friedman-Kien and Saltzman, 1990). Endemic KS was first characterized in African populations from Southern and Central Africa in the early 1960s (Cook, 1962;Lothe and Murray, 1962;Oettle, 1962).…”

“…It can also disseminate to other organs, such as the spleen, the lungs, the liver, and gastrointestinal track (Hengge et al, 2002). AIDS-KS, due to its rapid dissemination, multiple organ involvement, and difficulty with treatment, can be a painful and debilitating disease (Friedman-Kien and Saltzman, 1990). Since the HIV-1/AIDS epidemic, the patterns and clinical manifestations of KS have dramatically changed, especially in Africa.…”

“…Since the HIV-1/AIDS epidemic, the patterns and clinical manifestations of KS have dramatically changed, especially in Africa. Prior to the early 1980s, Kaposi sarcoma was a rare and indolent tumor of elderly adults, primarily men (Beral, 1991;Friedman-Kien and Saltzman, 1990;Kaposi, 1872). It was extremely rare in children; but with the AIDS epidemic, KS are often seen in young children, and when present, caused a rapidly disseminated disease that failed to respond to chemotherapy and led to death within 1-3 years (Bayley, 1991;Friedman-Kien and Saltzman, 1990).…”

Classical disseminated Kaposi's sarcoma in HIV-negative patients; an unusually indolent subtype

“…The epidemiological data suggest that KS, a multifocal neoplasm of endothelial origin (Friedman-Kien & Saltzman, 1990), occurs in four clinical settings, two of which have known geographical associations.…”