Classical Kaposi’s Sarcoma: A Survey of 163 Cases Observed in Bari, South Italy

Abstract

Background: Classical Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) is a sporadic disease that is particularly prevalent in Mediterranean countries. Objective: The aim of the study was to update clinical information about this rare condition. Methods: A survey of 163 cases observed in the period 1971-1990 in Bari, South Italy, was carried out. All records were reviewed and, when lost to follow-up for more than 6 months, patients were called back to update personal and family histories. The age at onset averaged 64 years (range 18-85). The male-to-female ratio was 3:1. No familiar occurrence was identified, and no significant association was found with other conditions (i.e. second primary malignancies and diabetes mellitus). Death from KS occurred in 16 cases, at the mean age of 71 years, an average of 5.7 years after the onset of the disease. To assess whether the different clinical patterns of the disease in its earlier stages may give any indication of its subsequent clinical course, all cases were re-classified into three groups (low-, moderate- and high-eruptivity group) on the basis of both the extent and the rate of spread of the disease before first admission; group-stratified survival function was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier’s life table method. Results: Highly significant (p < 0.0001) differences were found in survival profiles of the three study groups, also when only deaths due to KS were computed. Conclusion: These findings provide some support to the hypothesis that three subsets of classical KS exist that have different prognoses and, consequently, need different therapeutic approaches.

Cause-specific mortality in classic Kaposi's sarcoma: a population-based study in Italy (1995–2002)

“…The results also revealed an excess for persons born in two adjacent provinces in the northern region of Lombardy, which is consistent with the increased incidence of CKS and high HHV8 seroprevalence in another adjacent province (Ascoli et al, 2001;Tanzi et al, 2005). These provinces are located in the Po Valley, which, together with Sardinia, Sicily, and Puglia, has shown evidence of a higher incidence of CKS and seroprevalence of HHV8, compared with other areas in Italy (Lospalluti et al, 1995;Calabro et al, 1998;Whitby et al, 2000;Cattani et al, 2003). This could be related to environmental risks, including having been born in areas with endemic malaria (Geddes et al, 1995) and exposure to bloodsucking insects (Coluzzi et al, 2002;Ascoli et al, 2006).…”

“…However, little information is available on the causes of death among persons with CKS. No population-based studies have been conducted, and the available information derives from the sparse data retrieved from case series (Brambilla et al, 1994;Lospalluti et al, 1995;Franceschi et al, 1996;Hiatt et al, 2008). Furthermore, whereas the 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) has a specific code for Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), the ICD-9, which in many countries is still used, does not.…”

Disseminated cutaneous classical Kaposi’s sarcoma in a Polish man – case report

“…Odmiana ta charakteryzuje się powolnym, wieloletnim przebiegiem, a zmiany są najczęściej ograniczone do skóry [2]. Do zajęcia narządów wewnętrznych (wątroby, śledziony, węzłów chłon-nych, przewodu pokarmowego) dochodzi w 4-15% przypadków [3].…”

“…Główny-mi przyczynami zgonów pacjentów z tą odmianą są: choroby sercowo-naczyniowe, powikłania stosowanej chemioterapii lub inne towarzyszące nowotwory złośliwe. Śmiertelność związana z zajęciem narzą-dów wewnętrznych w odmianie klasycznej szacuje się na 1,6-10,7% [2,3].…”

Micronodular Kaposi’s Sarcoma – A New Variant of Classic-Sporadic Kaposi’s Sarcoma

“…The classic-sporadic form is rare and particularly prevalent among elderly human-immunodeficiency-virus (HIV)-seronegative individuals of Jewish East European descent or Mediterranean origin [1, 2]. Women are rarely affected which is reflected by a male-to-female ratio of approximately 17 to 1.…”