title: Classical Kaposi's sarcoma in Caucasians in Africa--experience at the Johannesburg Hospital (1978-1992).
abstract: The data are scant concerning classical Kaposi's sarcoma (CKS) among the Caucasian population of Africa. A description of the clinical features of 15 such patients, treated and followed up at the Johannesburg General Hospital over a 14-year period (1978-1992) is presented. All patients were negative for the human immunodeficiency virus. After a mean follow-up of 50 months (range: 7-168 months), 2 patients are alive with absent or minimal disease; 1 patient is alive with stable disease and 1 has active disease involving his extremities. Three patients were lost to follow-up but had minimal or no disease when last seen. Five patients died of unrelated causes but also had minimal or no disease at their last visit. One patient died of sepsis related to active KS. Only two patients died of progressive KS. No alterations in humoral or cellular immunity were demonstrated in 2 patients with persistent disease. Four (27%) patients developed lymphoproliferative disorders including non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Waldenström's macroglobulinemia, Hodgkin's disease and Castleman's disease (angiofollicular lymph node hyperplasia) preceding or following the diagnosis of CKS. These data confirm the indolent nature and good outcome of the classical form of Kaposi's sarcoma among Caucasians in the southern African region. The marked association between CKS and lymphoproliferative disorders warrants a long-term awareness and continued monitoring for these complications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Johannesburg Hospital, Medical School, Republic of South Africa.
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kantor
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Spencer
authors.forename: W R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Bezwoda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006769:Hospitals, General; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D016609:Neoplasms, Second Primary / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D012074:Remission Induction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012514:Sarcoma, Kaposi / Q000208:ethnology / Q000276:immunology / Q000556:secondary* / Q000628:therapy; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D013019:South Africa; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D044465:White People