Abstract
Classic Kaposi's sarcoma (CKS) is a subtype that traditionally occurs in elderly HIV-negative males of Mediterranean origin. Patients with CKS characteristically present with skin lesions in the distal extremities. Involvement of the viscera is uncommon but may occur in the late stages of the disease. Patients with extensive KS can be treated with systemic chemotherapy. A number of drugs approved for treatment of AIDS-associated KS, especially Paclitaxel, have activity against CKS after failure of prior therapy. We report a patient treated with weekly Paclitaxel, as initial chemotherapy, for CKS presenting with multiple visceral involvement and having a contraindication for Bleomycin. The patient had quasi-complete response after three months of chemotherapy suggesting that weekly Paclitaxel might be effective as a first-line therapy for classical type KS with visceral involvement.
Highlights
Classic Kaposi’s sarcoma (CKS) is an angioproliferative disorder that is thought to develop from endothelial cells, myofibroblasts, and monocyte-macrophages
We report a case of a major response after 3 months of weekly Paclitaxel treatment for multiple visceral localizations of classic Kaposi’s sarcoma
In the case reported above, treatment was administered with low-dose Paclitaxel to minimize toxicity in an elderly patient with comorbidities and aggressive form of classic Kaposi’s sarcoma
Summary
Classic Kaposi’s sarcoma (CKS) is an angioproliferative disorder that is thought to develop from endothelial cells, myofibroblasts, and monocyte-macrophages. Widespread, or rapidly progressive CKS, is an indication for systemic chemotherapy. No cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents have been approved for treatment of CKS, a number of drugs indicated for AIDS-associated KS have activity against CKS. These include Bleomycin, Vinblastine, Etoposide, Pegylated liposomal Doxorubicin, Gemcitabine, and Paclitaxel [1,2,3,4,5]. We report a case of a major response after 3 months of weekly Paclitaxel treatment for multiple visceral localizations of classic Kaposi’s sarcoma
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