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Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a tumor caused by Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), also known as human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8). Despite its name, it is generally not considered a true sarcoma, which is a tumor arising from connective tissue. KS actually arises as a cancer of lymphatic endothelium and forms vascular channels that fill with blood cells, giving the tumor its characteristic bruise-like appearance. This tumor was originally described by Moritz Kaposi, an Austro-Hungarian dermatologist practicing at the University of Vienna in 1872. KS was historically very rare and found mainly in older men of Mediterranean, or African origin[1] (classic KS), or patients with severely weakened immune systems, such as after an organ transplant (immunosuppressive treatment related KS). In the early 1980s KS began to be seen in AIDS patients, which led to the belief that AIDS weakened the immune system. Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus is responsible for all forms of KS. KS is prevalent in AIDS Patients. Image File history File links Kaposi’s_sarcoma_intraoral_AIDS_072_lores. ...
The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (most commonly known by the abbreviation ICD) provides codes to classify diseases and a wide variety of signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances and external causes of injury or disease. ...
The following codes are used with International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. ...
// C00-D48 - Neoplasms (C00-C14) Malignant neoplasms, lip, oral cavity and pharynx (C00) Malignant neoplasm of lip (C01) Malignant neoplasm of base of tongue (C02) Malignant neoplasm of other and unspecified parts of tongue (C03) Malignant neoplasm of gum (C04) Malignant neoplasm of floor of mouth (C05) Malignant neoplasm of...
The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (most commonly known by the abbreviation ICD) provides codes to classify diseases and a wide variety of signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances and external causes of injury or disease. ...
The following is a list of codes for International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. ...
The International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (ICD-O) is a domain specific extension of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems for tumor diseases. ...
The International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (ICD-O) is a domain specific extension of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems for tumor diseases. ...
The Mendelian Inheritance in Man project is a database that catalogues all the known diseases with a genetic component, and - when possible - links them to the relevant genes in the human genome. ...
The Disease Bold textDatabase is a free website that provides information about the relationships between medical conditions, symptoms, and medications. ...
MedlinePlus (medlineplus. ...
eMedicine is an online clinical medical knowledge base that was founded in 1996. ...
Kaposis sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the eighth human herpesvirus; its formal name according to the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses is HHV-8. ...
A sarcoma is a cancer of the connective or supportive tissue (bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, blood vessels) and soft tissue. ...
Connective tissue is one of the four types of tissue in traditional classifications (the others being epithelial, muscle, and nervous tissue. ...
The endothelium is the layer of thin, flat cells that lines the interior surface of blood vessels, forming an interface between circulating blood in the lumen and the rest of the vessel wall. ...
Moritz Kaposi (Hungarian: ) (b. ...
A scanning electron microscope image of a single neutrophil (yellow), engulfing anthrax bacteria (orange). ...
An organ transplant is the moving of a whole or partial organ from one body to another (or from a donor site on the patients own body), for the purpose of replacing the recipients damaged or failing organ with a working one from the donor site. ...
The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ...
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS or Aids) is a collection of symptoms and infections resulting from the specific damage to the immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). ...
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS or Aids) is a collection of symptoms and infections resulting from the specific damage to the immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). ...
Kaposis sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the eighth human herpesvirus; its formal name according to the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses is HHV-8. ...
Symptoms
KS lesions are nodules or blotches that may be red, purple, brown, or black, usually painless but sometimes painful and swollen. They most often appear under the surface of the skin or on mucous membranes, where they are particularly dangerous if they cause enough swelling to obstruct circulation, breathing, or eating. They may also be found in internal organs, particularly the respiratory system or gastrointestinal system; internal lesions are most commonly seen in epidemic KS, and can cause fatal bleeding. Skin lesions caused by Chickenpox A Lesion is any abnormal tissue found on or in an organism, usually damaged by disease or trauma. ...
The mucous membranes (or mucosa) are linings of ectodermic origin, covered in epithelium, that line various body cavities and internal organs. ...
In biology, an organ (Latin: organum, instrument, tool) is a group of tissues that perform a specific function or group of functions. ...
The Respiratory System Among four-legged animals, the respiratory system generally includes tubes, such as the bronchi, used to carry air to the lungs, where gas exchange takes place. ...
For the Physics term GUT, please refer to Grand unification theory The gastrointestinal or digestive tract, also referred to as the GI tract or the alimentary canal or the gut, is the system of organs within multicellular animals which takes in food, digests it to extract energy and nutrients, and...
KS can occur among transplant patients, in whom the tumor can disseminate. Stopping immunosuppression can eliminate KS but also can cause rejection of the transplanted organ.
Pathophysiology and diagnosis KS lesions contain tumor cells with a characteristic abnormal elongated shape, called spindle cells. The tumor is highly vascular, containing abnormally dense and irregular blood vessels, which leak red blood cells into the surrounding tissue and give the tumor its dark color. Inflammation around the tumor may produce swelling and pain. Drawing of the structure of cork as it appeared under the microscope to Robert Hook from Micrographia which is the origin of the word cell. POOP Cells in culture, stained for keratin (red) and DNA (green). ...
Vascular is an adjective for the word vessel and refers to tube-like structures. ...
An abscess on the skin, showing the redness and swelling characteristic of inflammation. ...
Although KS may be suspected from the appearance of lesions and the patient's risk factors, a definite diagnosis can only be made by biopsy and microscopic examination, which will show the presence of spindle cells. Detection of the viral protein LANA in tumor cells confirms the diagnosis. Brain biopsy A biopsy (in Greek: bios = life and opsy = look/appearance) is a medical test involving the removal of cells or tissues for examination. ...
Treatment and prevention Kaposi's sarcoma is not curable, in the usual sense of the word, but it can often be effectively palliated for many years and this is the aim of treatment. In KS associated with immunodeficiency or immunosuppression, treating the cause of the immune system dysfunction can slow or stop the progression of KS. In 40% or more of patients with AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma, the Kaposi lesions will shrink upon first starting highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). However, in a certain percentage of such patients, Kaposi's sarcoma may again grow after a number of years on HAART, especially if HIV is not completely suppressed. Patients with a few local lesions can often be treated with local measures such as radiation therapy or cryotherapy. Surgery is generally not recommended as Kaposi's sarcoma can appear in wound edges. More widespread disease, or disease affecting internal organs, is generally treated with systemic therapy with interferon alpha, liposomal anthracyclines (such as Doxil) or paclitaxel. In medicine, immune deficiency (or immunodeficiency) is a state where the immune system is incapable of defending the organism from infectious disease. ...
The term antiretroviral drugs is used to describe drugs used against HIV infection (HIV is an RNA retrovirus). ...
Interferons (IFNs) are natural proteins produced by the cells of the immune system of most vertebrates in response to challenges by foreign agents such as viruses, bacteria, parasites and tumor cells. ...
Paclitaxel is a drug used in the treatment of cancer. ...
With the decrease in the death rate among AIDS patients receiving new treatments in the 1990s, the incidence and severity of epidemic KS also decreased. However, the number of patients living with AIDS is increasing substantially in the United States, and it is possible that the number of patients with AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma will again rise as these patients live longer with HIV infection.
Blood tests to detect antibodies against KSHV have been developed and can be used to determine if a patient is at risk for transmitting infection to his or her sexual partner, or if an organ is infected prior to transplantation.
History and theories The disease is named after Moritz Kaposi (1837–1902), a Hungarian dermatologist who first described the symptoms in 1872. Research over the next century suggested that KS, like some other forms of cancer, might be caused by a virus or genetic factors, but no definite cause was found. Moritz Kaposi (Hungarian: ) (b. ...
Queen Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom (1837 - 1901) 1837 (MDCCCXXXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...
1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...
Dermatology is a branch of medicine dealing with the skin, its structure, functions, and diseases (from Greek derma, skin), as well as its appendages (nails, hair, sweat glands). ...
Year 1872 (MDCCCLXXII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...
With the rise of the AIDS epidemic, KS, as initially one of the most common AIDS symptoms, was researched more intensively in hopes that it might reveal the cause of AIDS.
In 1994, Yuan Chang, Patrick S. Moore, and Ethel Cesarman at Columbia University in New York isolated genetic pieces of a virus from a KS lesion. They used representational difference analysis (a method to subtract out all of the human DNA from a sample) to isolate the viral genes. They then used these small DNA fragments as starting points to sequence the rest of the viral genome in 1996. This, the eighth human herpesvirus (HHV-8)—now known as Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV)—has since been found in all KS lesions tested, and is considered the cause of the disease. KSHV is a unique human tumor virus that has incorporated cellular genes that cause tumors into its genome ("molecular piracy"); the stolen cellular genes may help the virus escape from the immune system, but in doing so it also causes cells to proliferate. It is related to Epstein-Barr virus, a very common herpesvirus that can also cause human cancers. 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ...
Yuan Chang is a virologist and pathologist who co-discovered Kaposis sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV). ...
Patrick S. Moore is a virologist and epidemiologist who co-discovered Kaposis sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) along with his wife, Yuan Chang. ...
Columbia University is a private research university in the United States. ...
NY redirects here. ...
This article may be too technical for most readers to understand. ...
1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...
The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), also called Human herpesvirus 4 (HHV-4), is a virus of the herpes family (which includes Herpes simplex virus and Cytomegalovirus), and is one of the most common viruses in humans. ...
KSHV infection does not always lead to KS; it is still unclear what other factors may be required, such as pre-existing immune system damage, or a specific interaction with HIV or other viruses. However, research in Africa has shown that even in the absence of HIV/AIDS, KS is more common in men than women although KSHV infection is equal between both sexes. This suggests that sex hormones may either protect from or predispose to KS in persons infected with the virus. Sex hormones are hormones that affect the reproductive system. ...
KS Awareness In AIDS patients, Kaposi's sarcoma is considered an opportunistic infection, i.e., a disease that is able to gain a foothold in the body because the immune system has been weakened. With the rise of AIDS in Africa, where KSHV is widespread, KS has become the most frequently reported cancer in some countries, such as Zimbabwe. Opportunistic infections are infections caused by organisms and usually do not cause disease in a person with a healthy immune system, but can affect people with a poorly functioning or suppressed immune system. ...
AIDS education at a school in Uganda. ...
Nigerian bandleader Fela Kuti succumbed to the disease in 1997. Fela Anikulapo Kuti (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti, October 15, 1938 - August 2, 1997), or simply Fela, was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, pioneer of Afrobeat music, human rights activist, and political maverick. ...
Because of their highly visible nature, external lesions are sometimes the presenting symptom of AIDS. Kaposi's sarcoma entered the awareness of the general public with the release of the film Philadelphia, in which the main character was fired after his employers found out he was HIV-positive due to visible lesions. Unfortunately, by the time KS lesions appear, it is likely that the immune system has already been severely weakened. Philadelphia is a 1993 movie written by Ron Nyswaner and directed by Jonathan Demme. ...
References - Kaposi, M. 1872. Idiopathisches multiples Pigmentsarkom der Haut. Arch. Dermatol. Syph. 4:265-273.
- Antman K, Chang Y. Kaposi's sarcoma. New Engl J Med 2000;342(14):1027-38
- Chang Y, Cesarman E, Pessin M, et al. Identification of herpesvirus-like DNA sequences in AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma. Science 1994;266:1865-9.
- Yarchoan R, Tosato G, Little RF. Therapy insight: AIDS-related malignancies - the influence of antiviral therapy on pathogenesis and management. Nature Clin Prac Oncology 2005;2(8):406-15.
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