A case of classic Kaposi sarcoma in an immunocompetent human immunodeficiency virus-negative Dominican man

Kaposi Sarcoma in an Immunocompetent Patient Treated With Paclitaxel

Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is a rare multifocal tumor originating from the cells lining the blood vessels. It is characterized by vascular proliferation and is usually associated with immunosuppression due to multiple factors, including AIDS or organ transplantation. However, sporadic cases of KS have been reported in HIV-negative immunocompetent patients. Paclitaxel has shown efficacy and may be an alternative for the initial therapy of patients with KS. We report a case of KS in a 70-year-old Asian male who was HIV-negative, with no history of immunosuppression or homosexuality and a good response to treatment with Paclitaxel.

Oral Kaposi sarcoma development is associated with HIV viral load, CD4+ count and CD4+/CD8+ ratio

Background

Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) is an uncommon, multifocal and angioproliferative lesion, which demonstrates a poor prognosis. The aim of the present research was to explore the association of HIV viral load, CD4+ and CD8+ counts and the CD4+/CD8+ ratio on the risk of oral Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) development.

Material and Methods

A total of 62 patients were retrieved from March 2008 to October 2020 from the files of two oral pathology centres. Clinical, laboratory and follow-up data were retrieved from their medical files. Poisson regression was used to explore the role of history of immunosuppression and its association with oral KS development. A P-value <0.05 was considered significant.

Results

Sixty-two patients were included in the present study (32 with oral KS and 30 with no presentation of lesions anywhere on the body). Patients with oral KS presented a mean age of 32.6 years, and male patients were more affected. The hard palate (15 cases; 46.8%) was the main anatomical site affected. The lesions were mostly presented as swellings (13 cases; 40.6%) and nodules (12 cases; 37.5%). Systemic manifestations were also observed, including candidiasis (4 cases; 12.5%), bacterial infection (3 cases; 9.3%), tuberculosis (3 cases; 9.3%), herpes simplex (3 cases; 9.3%) and pneumonia (3 cases; 9.3%). A significant correlation was observed between HIV viral load, CD4+ count and the CD4+/CD8+ ratio with oral KS development.

Conclusions

HIV viral load, CD4+ count and the CD4+/CD8+ ratio are associated with oral KS development.

Key words:Cancer, oral, Kaposi’s sarcoma, diagnostic.