Gastrointestinal Kaposi’s sarcoma: Case report and review of the literature

Kaposi’s sarcoma(KS) of the gastrointestinal tract is not an uncommon disease among individuals with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome(AIDS). The majority is asymptomatic, and for this reason, gastrointestinal KS(GI-KS) remains undiagnosed. With continued tumor growth, considerable variation in cli...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inWorld journal of gastrointestinal pharmacology and therapeutics Vol. 6; no. 3; pp. 89 - 95
Main Authors Lee, Ann Joo, Brenner, Lacie, Mourad, Bashar, Monteiro, Carmela, Vega, Kenneth J, Munoz, Juan Carlos
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Baishideng Publishing Group Inc 06.08.2015
Subjects
Acquired
Case Report
endoscopy
Epidemiology
Gastrointestinal
immunodeficiency
Kaposi
sarcoma
symptoms
syndrome
tumor
Gastrointestinal endoscopy
Kaposi sarcoma
Gastrointestinal tumor symptoms
Epidemiology
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Kaposi’s sarcoma(KS) of the gastrointestinal tract is not an uncommon disease among individuals with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome(AIDS). The majority is asymptomatic, and for this reason, gastrointestinal KS(GI-KS) remains undiagnosed. With continued tumor growth, considerable variation in clinical presentation occurs including abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, iron deficiency anemia(either chronic or frank gastrointestinal bleeding), and rarely mechanical obstruction alone or combined with bowel perforation. Endoscopy with biopsy allows for histological and immunohistochemical testing to confirm the diagnosis of GI-KS among those with clinical symptoms. In previous studies, dual treatment with highly active antiretroviral therapy and systemic chemotherapy have been associated with improved morbidity and mortality in individuals with visceral KS. Therefore, investigators have suggested performing screening endoscopies in select patients for early detection and treatment to improve outcome. In this review, we describe a 44 years old man with AIDS and cutaneous KS who presented for evaluation of postprandial abdominal pain, vomiting, and weight loss. On upper endoscopy, an extensive, infiltrative,circumferential, reddish mass involving the entire body and antrum of the stomach was seen. Histologic examination later revealed spindle cell proliferation, and confirmatory immunohistochemical testing revealed human herpes virus 8 latent nuclear antigen expression consistent with a diagnosis of gastric KS. Following this, we present a comprehensive review of literature on KS with emphasis on gastrointestinal tract involvement and management.
Bibliography:Ann Joo Lee;Lacie Brenner;Bashar Mourad;Carmela Monteiro;Kenneth J Vega;Juan Carlos Munoz;Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine Jacksonville;Department of Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine Jacksonville;Department of Pathology, University of Florida College of Medicine Jacksonville;Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
Telephone: +1-405-2715428 Fax: +1-405-2715803
Correspondence to: Kenneth J Vega, MD, Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 920 Stanton L. Young Boulevard WP 1345, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, United States. kenneth-vega@ouhsc.edu
Author contributions: Lee AJ and Mourad B collected the patient’s clinical data; Lee AJ, Brenner L and Munoz JC performed the endoscopy and obtained biopsies for diagnosis; Monteiro C analyzed the histopathology; Lee AJ, Munoz JC and Vega KJ performed the literature review and wrote the paper.
ISSN:2150-5349
2150-5349
DOI:10.4292/wjgpt.v6.i3.89