Kaposi Sarcoma

Abstract

Kaposi sarcoma was first described by Moritz Kaposi in 1872 as a multicentric, cutaneous, and extracutaneous neoplasm, predominantly affecting older individuals with a protracted clinical course. Posttransplant Kaposi sarcoma corresponds to the iatrogenic subtype and ranks among the most common cancers affecting kidney transplant recipients in developing countries. This neoplasm arises in patients after reactivation of latent human herpesvirus 8 infection and its development is directly related to the chronic immunosuppressive therapy required for graft maintenance. Its course may vary from indolent and chronic to rapidly progressive. Therapeutic management is still a challenge because it requires controlling the disease while concomitantly attempting to maintain allograft function, which is critically important in case of liver, lung, or heart transplantation. Mainstay of treatment consists of calcineurin inhibitors withdrawal and switch to mTOR inhibitors. However, frequent relapses have been reported in a significant proportion of patients treated with mTOR inhibitors.