Oral Kaposi's sarcoma: a clinicopathologic study from South Africa.
OBJECTIVE
In this retrospective study, we defined the clinicopathologic characteristics of oral Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and determined the presence of human herpesvirus 8 in the oral lesions in a group of South African patients. These results were compared with similar data from patients in developed countries.


METHODS
Eighty-one cases of oral KS were retrieved from the departmental archives. Fourteen patients with oral pyogenic granuloma served as control subjects. DNA was extracted by using a modified phenol chloroform extraction method and amplified by using polymerase chain reaction. If beta-globin DNA sequences could not be demonstrated, the patient was excluded from the study.


RESULTS
Of the 81 patients included in the study, 68 (84%) had been diagnosed since 1997. Oral KS was often the first presenting sign of human immunodeficiency virus infection. Some of the lesions exceeded 4 cm in diameter. The most commonly affected site was the palate (37 patients), followed by the tongue and gingiva. Multiple oral sites were frequently involved. The mean age of the patients was 34.7 years (range, 2-58 years). The male-to-female ratio was 1.31 to 1. Most of the patients (94%) were black. Human herpesvirus 8 DNA sequences were detected in 44 of the 45 cases of oral KS in which the DNA was analyzed, and in 1 case of pyogenic granuloma.


CONCLUSIONS
The only significant clinicopathologic differences in findings between our study and previous studies in developed countries were (1) the male-to-female ratio, (2) the preponderance of black patients, and (3) the more frequent involvement of the tongue. There are no studies reporting the clinicopathologic characteristics of oral KS in populations of developing countries.
Lager
Ilan
I
Division of Oral Medicine and Periodontology, School of Oral Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Altini
Mario
M
Coleman
Hedley
H
Ali
Hasiena
H
D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D044383:Black People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005887:Gingival Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D017789:Granuloma, Pyogenic / Q000453:epidemiology; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D010157:Palatal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012514:Sarcoma, Kaposi / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D012737:Sex Factors; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology
D004279:DNA, Viral