A Case of Gastrointestinal and Cervical Lymph Nodal Kaposi's Sarcoma in a Patient with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

ABSTRACT

Kaposi's sarcoma was the first malignancy to be recognized as a cancer defining acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Kaposi's sarcoma, a rare tumor, usually presents itself with skin lesions but it may be widely disseminated internally such as digestive, respiratory organ, spleen, or lymph node. The incidence of Kaposi's sarcoma in patients with AIDS has declined in the era of effective antiretroviral therapy (ART), and cases of disseminated Kaposi's sarcomas have rarely been reported in Korea. Chemotherapy is usually used in symptomatic or rapidly progressive disease, and interferon-alpha can be applied as a treatment option. We report a successfully treated case of gastrointestinal and cervical lymph nodal Kaposi's sarcoma in a patient with AIDS who had combined treatment with ART, interferon-alpha, and paclitaxel.