Kaposi Sarcoma (classic or sporadic type)

Diagnosis: Kaposi Sarcoma (classic or sporadic type)

Red to violaceous macules, papules, and plaques with bleeding on palms.

Clinical Presentation

Red to violaceous macules, papules, and plaques with bleeding on palms.

Clinical History

Submitted by Alaa Saad. Originally posted September 13, 2010.

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, classic, sporadic, type, alaa saad