Kaposi sarcoma

Diagnosis: Kaposi sarcoma

Case submitted by dermRounds Dermatology Network to the dermRounds community.

Clinical Presentation

Clinical photograph(s) submitted for peer review and discussion.

Clinical History

Submitted by dermRounds Dermatology Network. Originally posted February 6, 2009.

Treatment

See case discussion.

Differential Diagnosis

• Bacillary angiomatosis • Pyogenic granuloma • Angiosarcoma • Hemangioma • Dermatofibroma • Melanoma • Stasis dermatitis

Key Learnings

• Caused by HHV-8 (Human Herpesvirus 8) in all variants • Four types: classic (elderly Mediterranean men), endemic (sub-Saharan Africa), iatrogenic (immunosuppression), epidemic (HIV/AIDS) • HIV-associated KS: dramatically decreased with effective ART • Patch → plaque → nodular stage progression • Classic KS: indolent course, lower extremity predominance • Histology: spindle cell proliferation with slit-like vascular channels, PAS+ eosinophilic globules

Tags: kaposi, sarcoma, dermrounds dermatology network