Oral Kaposi's Sarcoma In HIV Positive Patients. A Case Report and A Review of Literature

Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is a soft-tissue malignancy arising from the proliferation of spindle cells with vascular endothelial cell origin. The disease most frequently affects mucocutaneous tissues as well as the visceral aerodigestive tract. Lesions can arise anywhere along the digestive tract from the oral cavity to the perianal region. Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) is a crucial factor in disease pathogenesis, however the exact mechanism of disease pathogenesis has not been elucidated [1]. KS has four main epidemiologic variants according to the inciting factor of disease: (1) Classic, or sporadic; (2) Endemic (African); (3) Epidemic (AIDS-related); and (4) Iatrogenic (posttransplant). Also, there have been reports of epidemic oral Kaposi Sarcoma (OKS) in the context of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS). IRIS-associated OKS may present or worsen when the immune system regains function and begins to attack KS antigens.