Classic Kaposi's sarcoma presenting first with gastrointestinal tract involvement in a HIV-negative Inuit male--a case report and review of the literature

Pathol Res Pract. 2006;202(8):623-6. doi: 10.1016/j.prp.2006.03.002. Epub 2006 May 8.

Abstract

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a multicentric low-grade vascular malignancy. In North America, it is usually seen in AIDS and solid organ transplant populations. Classic KS is a subtype that traditionally occurs in elderly HIV-negative males of Mediterranean, Eastern European, and Jewish descent. Patients with classic KS characteristically present with skin lesions in the distal extremities. Involvement of the viscera is uncommon in classic KS, but may occur in the late stages of the disease. We report the first case of classic KS presenting in the gastrointestinal tract of an elderly HIV-negative Inuit male from Northern Quebec, Canada.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / analysis
  • Doxorubicin / therapeutic use
  • Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / chemistry
  • Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / ethnology
  • Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / pathology*
  • HIV Seronegativity*
  • Humans
  • Inuit* / ethnology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Quebec / ethnology
  • Sarcoma, Kaposi / chemistry
  • Sarcoma, Kaposi / drug therapy
  • Sarcoma, Kaposi / ethnology
  • Sarcoma, Kaposi / pathology*
  • Withholding Treatment

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • Doxorubicin