Kaposi's Sarcoma Appears to Be Making a Comeback in AIDS Patients

Kaposi's sarcoma used to be widespread among AIDS patients. However, since the introduction of new AIDS drugs, the disease is almost nonexistent in patients who have their AIDS under control. That is why San Francisco doctors are so surprised to see a cluster of AIDS patients with Kaposi's sarcoma--patients who have their AIDS under control. Although it is not certain why cases of Kaposi's sarcoma seem to be on the rise, experts are calling the findings unusual.

Kaposi's sarcoma is a type of cancerous tumor of connective tissue. There are many different varieties of the disease, all of which are caused by Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8). Kaposi's sarcoma produces nodules or patches that can affect the skin, mouth, nose, eye, lungs, liver, stomach , intestine, lymph nodes, and various other sites. The lesions are usually papular and may be red, purple, brown, or black. Classic Kaposi's sarcoma primarily affects elderly men of Mediterranean or Eastern European descent. However, the disease began to significantly increase with the AIDS epidemic. In the 1980s and 1990s, Kaposi's sarcoma become almost synonymous with AIDS. In fact, the disease affected approximately one-third of all AIDS patients, most of which were men. In the late 1990s, the new generation of AIDS drugs helped to strengthen patient's immune systems and, thus, ward of Kaposi's sarcoma. Since that time, cases of Kaposi's sarcoma have been greatly reduced, at least in the western world. Other countries, particularly those in Africa, have a high rate of Kaposi's sarcoma. Also, about twenty percent of AIDS patients who do not take antiretroviral drugs have Kaposi's sarcoma.

According to a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine, San Francisco-area doctors have seen nine cases of Kaposi's sarcoma in AIDS patients over the last three years. On average, the patients had been HIV-positive for eighteen years and taking antiretrovirals for seven years at the time of diagnosis. The reason the findings are so unusual is because all of the patients have their AIDS under control. It is very rare to see the disease in patients who have their AIDS under control. It is even more concerning that the cases occurred in a cluster. It leaves experts wondering if there are more clusters occurring in other parts of the country.

Experts are stumped as to why Kaposi's sarcoma appears to be on the comeback. The findings bring up a lot of questions and worries. More research needs to be done. Fortunately for the affected patients, the cases of Kaposi's sarcoma are not severe. As for other AIDS patients, experts do not want them to be overly concerned until more research is done. The important thing to remember is that Kaposi's sarcoma remains rare in patients with controlled AIDS and it is treatable.

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HealthDay