Unusual site of kaposi sarcoma after kidney transplantation.

Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is the most common cancer after kidney transplantation in the Middle East countries.1 The prevalence of KS in comparison with other tumors is also quite higher in Iranian recipients.1,2 However, squamous cell carcinoma of the skin is the most common posttransplant malignancy in other reports.1,3,4 Its incidence following kidney transplantation has steadily increased due to the long-term use of potent immunosuppress ive drugs for prevent ion of allograft rejection.1,3,5 The prevalence of posttransplant KS varies in different geographic areas, most cases reported from Mediterranean descent, suggesting the importance of ethnic or environmental factors in its development.1,3,6 Several investigators have found that the higher levels of anti–human herpesvirus-8 antibodies in the Middle East region where there is a higher prevalence of KS.1 In the current issue of the Iranian Journal of Kidney Diseases a solitary laryngeal KS in a kidney transplant recipient is reported by Taheri and coworkers as an unusual involvement.7 The patient who was a 40-year-old man presented with severe hoarseness after 21 months of his transplantation. It is important to note that 90% of kidney transplants with KS have skin lesions, mucosal lesions, or both. The oropharyngeal and conjunctival mucosa may be affected. Purely visceral involvement happens in 10% of recipients and their clinical manifestations are unusual.1 Visceral disease predominantly affects the lymph nodes, gastrointestinal tract, and Unusual Site of Kaposi Sarcoma After Kidney Transplantation