ORAL KAPOSI SARCOMA IN PATIENTS WITH ACQUIRED IMMUNODEFICIENCY SYNDROME: CASE REPORTS

Abstract

AIDS associated with Kaposi sarcoma (KS-AIDS) is one of the most prevalent malignant neoplasms in people with HIV. It usually presents initially as violaceous cutaneous lesions, but oral mucosa, lymph nodes, and visceral organs may be affected, sometimes without skin involvement, being an important prognostic factor. The aim of this presentation is to report 4 KS-AIDS cases with oral involvement. All cases occurred in black or mixed-race men, aged between 23 and 31, showing extremely low CD4 counts (range, 5-132 cells/mm³) and high HIV viral load. All diagnoses were confirmed by biopsy results. Along with the highly active antiretroviral treatment, the systemic chemotherapy was used in the severe cases, while the local tumor was surgically removed. We will discuss the clinical aspects and the treatments performed in addition to emphasizing the relationship between oral lesions and the human herpesvirus-8 tropism by oral epithelial cells. AIDS associated with Kaposi sarcoma (KS-AIDS) is one of the most prevalent malignant neoplasms in people with HIV. It usually presents initially as violaceous cutaneous lesions, but oral mucosa, lymph nodes, and visceral organs may be affected, sometimes without skin involvement, being an important prognostic factor. The aim of this presentation is to report 4 KS-AIDS cases with oral involvement. All cases occurred in black or mixed-race men, aged between 23 and 31, showing extremely low CD4 counts (range, 5-132 cells/mm³) and high HIV viral load. All diagnoses were confirmed by biopsy results. Along with the highly active antiretroviral treatment, the systemic chemotherapy was used in the severe cases, while the local tumor was surgically removed. We will discuss the clinical aspects and the treatments performed in addition to emphasizing the relationship between oral lesions and the human herpesvirus-8 tropism by oral epithelial cells.