Kaposi's sarcoma in renal-transplant recipients: Experience at the Catholic University in Rome, 1988-1996

Background: The incidence of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) in patients transplanted at the Organ Transplant Center of Catholic University in Rome appears to have Epidemiology increased in recent years. Objective: To describe the clinical characteristics of KS in a group of transplant recipients. Methods: Over 8 years, a total of 302 renal-transplant recipients were followed. When KS was suspected, histology and staging procedures were performed. Results: Ten cases of KS have been diagnosed (8 males, 2 females; age 46.4+/-9.4 years); 4 of them were on triple therapy. All the patients were HIV-I seronegative. The onset of KS occurred 3 months to 4 years after transplantation (21.1+/-17.6 months). The disease was limited to the skin in 6 cases and involved internal organs in the remaining 4. Four patients experienced complete remission of the disease following: reduction of the immunosuppressive therapy. Conclusion: The high incidence of KS in this population (2.98%), as compared to that reported in other transplant patient groups, suggests that, besides viral infection, genetic predisposition may play a pathogenetic role. However, immunosuppression is the leading factor in transplant patients.