Kaposi Sarcoma. Our Clinical Trials. Find a Kaposi Sarcoma Expert. Other types of KS include: Classic KS , which occurs primarily in older people of Mediterranean, Eastern European, and Middle Eastern descent whose immune systems are weakened as a result of advanced age.
People with this type of KS typically have one or more lesions on the legs, ankles, or soles of the feet. African KS , also known as endemic KS, which usually occurs in children and adults under age 40 who live near the equator in Africa.
Immunosuppressive treatment—related KS , also called iatrogenic KS, which occurs in HHVinfected people who take immune-suppressing drugs to prevent the rejection of a transplanted organ. An estimated one in people with a transplanted organ develop this type of KS within a year and a half of the operation. This type of KS progresses slowly. A benign tumor means the tumor can grow but will not spread. Kaposi sarcoma is a type of soft-tissue sarcoma. Soft-tissue sarcomas are a group of cancers that begin in the tissues that support and connect the body.
Kaposi sarcoma generally develops in tissue located below the skin's surface or in the lining of the mouth, nose, or anus. Areas where tissues have abnormal changes are known as Kaposi sarcoma lesions.
These lesions usually appear on the skin as raised blotches or nodules. They may be purple, red, blue, brown, or black. When viewed under a microscope, Kaposi sarcoma cells resemble blood vessels. Classic Kaposi sarcoma. Classic Kaposi sarcoma was first described in the late s. It traditionally occurs in older men of Jewish or Mediterranean descent. Lesions most often appear on the lower body, particularly on the legs, ankles, or soles of the feet. Classic Kaposi sarcoma is more common in men than in women, and lesions may develop slowly over a period of 10 to 15 years.
Epidemic Kaposi sarcoma. Acquired immune deficiency syndrome AIDS is a disease of the immune system caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus HIV. It is now the most common type of Kaposi sarcoma. Epidemic Kaposi sarcoma causes lesions to form in many different areas on the body. It may affect the lymph nodes and organs, such as the liver, spleen, lungs, and the digestive tract. Acquired Kaposi sarcoma. Acquired Kaposi sarcoma develops in people whose immune systems are depressed, typically due to taking drugs to suppress their immune system in the setting of an organ transplant or an autoimmune disease.
Sometimes a CT scan may also be done to check whether your lymph nodes, or any other parts of your body, are affected. The virus is thought to be spread during sex, through blood or saliva, or from a mother to her baby during birth. HHV-8 is a relatively common virus, and most people who have it will not develop Kaposi's sarcoma. The virus only seems to cause cancer in some people with a weakened immune system, and people who have a genetic vulnerability to the virus.
A weakened immune system allows the HHV-8 virus to multiply to high levels in the blood, increasing the chance of it causing Kaposi's sarcoma. The virus appears to alter the genetic instructions that control cell growth. It affects the cells that line the inside surface of blood vessels and lymphatic vessels, called endothelial cells. Kaposi's sarcoma is one of the main types of cancer to affect people with HIV. It can progress very quickly if it is not treated. This prevents HIV multiplying and allows the immune system to recover.
The immune system can then reduce the levels of HHV-8 in the body. Some people may also need other treatments, such as chemotherapy or a medicine called interferon. Classic Kaposi's sarcoma is very rare, and mainly affects the skin on the lower legs and feet.
Unlike other types of Kaposi's sarcoma, the symptoms of classic Kaposi's sarcoma progress very slowly over many years. It's thought that people with classic Kaposi's sarcoma are born with a genetic vulnerability to the HHV-8 virus. It's most common in older men with a Mediterranean or Jewish background. The condition does not affect life expectancy, so immediate treatment is not usually needed.
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