Kaposi sarcoma in a patient with giant cell arteritis.

ABSTRACT

Kaposi sarcoma usually occurs in immunosuppressed patients. A classic type has been reported in elderly men of Jewish and Mediterranean origin. We report a case of an elderly woman with giant cell arteritis (GCA) who developed Kaposi sarcoma while on a double blind trial for GCA with an anti-tumor-necrosis-factor medication. Our patient had none of the risk factors for Kaposi sarcoma, and when she was withdrawn from the study it was found that she was receiving only placebo along with the moderate, tapering doses of corticosteroids.