Simultaneous Occurrence of Ivaposi’s Sarcoma, Leukemia and Diabetes Mellitus: Report of a Case

Abstract

A review of the available literature reveals few reports associating Kaposi's idiopathic hemorrhagic sarcoma with leukemia or lymphoblastoma. While Kaposi's sarcoma often progresses slowly for many years and at autopsy shows no spread beyond the cutaneous site, it is not uncommon to find sarcomatous deposits in the viscera, such as the organs of the gastrointestinal tract or respira­ tory tract, and the superficial and deep lymph nodes. Cole and Crump 2 in 1920 were the first to record an instance of idiopathic sar­ coma complicated by lymphatic leukemia, and Hufnagel and Dupont 8 reported a similar case some ten years later. Sachs and Gray 13 described a unique case of Kaposi's sarcoma and lymphatic leukemia in which biopsy of the skin revealed lesions of Kaposi's sarcoma in the upper and middle portions of the cutis, and leukemic infiltration in the lower cutis. The first report, apparently, of con­ current Kaposi's sarcoma and Hodgkin's disease was that of Greenstein. 7 In another instance reported by Lane and Greenwood 10 the patient had cutaneous lesions of both Kaposi's sarcoma and mycosis fungoides, and a blood picture of lymphatic leukemia. The present case concerns the simultaneous occurrence of Kaposi's sarcoma, lymphatic leukemia and diabetes. As far as could be determined, this combina­ tion has not heretofore been alluded to in the voluminous literature on multiple hemorrhagic sarcoma.