title: Clinical presentations and standard therapy of AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma.
abstract: The treatment plan for a patient with AIDS-related KS should be based on tumor characteristics, control of HIV infection, comorbidities, and patient treatment goals (see Table 1). Institution of optimal antiretroviral therapy is an essential component of KS therapy. When available, enrollment in a clinical trial should be considered, except for patients who are naive to chemotherapy with symptomatic or life-threatening KS. For a patient with minimal, indolent cutaneous disease, after optimal control of HIV replication, local treatment, investigational treatment, or interferon are reasonable considerations. For the patient with rapidly progressive, cutaneous disease, tumor-related symptoms, or visceral disease, cytotoxic chemotherapy in combination with antiretroviral therapy is the first consideration. Future advances undoubtedly will include pathogenesis-based agents, either alone or in combination with currently available cytotoxic therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, The Feinberg School of Medicine, The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University, 676 North St. Clair Street, Suite 850, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. j-vonroenn@northwestern.edu
authors.forename: Jamie H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Von Roenn
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000628:therapy* / Q000821:virology; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human; D006801:Humans; D012514:Sarcoma, Kaposi / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy* / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents