Summary
Definition
History and exam
Key diagnostic factors
- presence of risk factors
- age >50 years
- male sex
- geographic location: sub-Saharan Africa or the Mediterranean
- HIV infection
- HHV-8 infection
- immunosuppression
- skin lesion
- oral lesion
- lymphadenopathy
- lymphoedema
Other diagnostic factors
- weight loss
- abdominal pain
- GI bleeding
- diarrhoea
- dyspnoea
- haemoptysis
- chest pain
- fever
Risk factors
- male sex
- HIV infection
- drug abuse
- immunosuppression therapy
- transplantation
- human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) infection
- central African ethnicity (Uganda, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Swaziland)
- Jewish ethnicity
- Mediterranean ethnicity
- age <5 years or >50 years
Diagnostic investigations
1st investigations to order
- HIV test
- skin/mucosal biopsy
- lymph node biopsy
- fecal occult blood
- CXR
Investigations to consider
- CT scan
- MRI
- bronchoscopy
- GI endoscopy
- PET scan
- FBC
- renal function tests
- LFTs
Treatment algorithm
Contributors
Authors VIEW ALL
Professor of Pathology
Director of Cytopathology
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Pittsburgh
PA
Disclosures
LP is an author of some of the studies referenced in this monograph and has also written on Kaposi sarcoma for the following: Decision Support in Medicine; Essential Evidence Plus; Physician's Information & Education Resource; Oxford Desk Reference. He is also a consultant for Omnyx.
Associate Professor of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Boston
MA
Disclosures
BJD is an author of some studies referenced in this monograph.
Peer reviewers VIEW ALL
Attending Hematologist and Oncologist
Virginia Mason Clinical Professor of Medicine
University of Washington
Division of Hematology and Oncology
Seattle
WA
Disclosures
DA is the author of some of the studies referenced in the monograph. DA declares that he has no other competing interests.
Consultant Medical Oncologist/Senior Lecturer
Department of Medical Oncology
Imperial College/Imperial Healthcare NHS Trust
Charing Cross Hospital
London
UK
Disclosures
JS declares that he has no competing interests.
Physician
Department of Dermatology
Erasme University Hospital
Brussels
Belgium
Disclosures
TS declares that he has no competing interests.
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