Dermatol. praxi. 2009;3(3):139-141

Kaposi's sarcoma

MUDr. Zuzana Kudláčová¹, MUDr. Mária Rečková², MUDr. Dušan Pajerchin¹, MUDr. Juraj Beniak², MUDr. Mária Nováčeková³

¹ Kožné oddelenie, Nemocnica Poprad a. s., Poprad

² Poliklinické oddelenie klinickej onkológie, Poprad

³ Patolologicko-anatomické oddelenie, Nemocnica Poprad a. s., Poprad

The paper presents a case of a 76-year-old man with generalized cutaneous Kaposi's sarcoma. The patient was referred from a dermatology

practice to our department in the disseminated stage of the disease in July 2006. Based on the clinical features, Kaposi's sarcoma

(KS) was considered during differential diagnosis, however, the histological findings were nonspecific (a presentation of lymphocytic

capillaritis). It was not until July 2007, when the patient was readmitted to our department for unresolving skin lesions, that the diagnosis

was confirmed by a new histological examination of two biopsies. The above implies that skin manifestations of KS may cause diagnostic

difficulties in the bioptic practice since the histological presentation may initially be identical to that in other cancerous as well as

noncancerous vascular skin lesions (3, 4). This needs to be kept in mind be for the sake of early diagnosis and treatment and, whenever

necessary, repeated biopsies have to be performed.

Keywords: kaposi's sarcoma, human herpesvirus, histological presentation, therapy.

Published: June 1, 2009  Show citation