Anogenital Lesions : Kaposi's Sarcoma and Its Mimicks

Abstract EN

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a low-grade vascular neoplasm associated with human herpes virus-8 (HHV-8) infection, and, in the epidemic form, with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Although HHV-8 is present in all body fluids and is sexually transmitted, there are surprisingly few reports of anogenital KS.

Clinically, especially in HIV/KS endemic areas, dark stained skin patches or nodules are prone to misdiagnosis, especially in dark-skinned individuals.

Therefore, a biopsy is recommended.

The histologic appearance spans a broad spectrum of KS and non-KS lesions; therefore, the final diagnosis should be confirmed by HHV-8 immunohistochemistry.

We report a series of 36 anogenital biopsies from a group of 16 documented HIV-positive patients; in 20 the HIV serostatus was unknown.

There were ten KS (five in HIV-positive patients), and 26 non-KS (11 in HIV-positive subjects) lesions.

In the era of HIV/AIDS, anogenital lesions may be the first manifestation of KS in immunocompromised individuals and should be biopsied.

The histological diagnosis should be confirmed by HHV-8 immunohistochemistry.