Familial Kaposi's sarcoma: a cluster of five Israeli cases.
OBJECTIVE
Familial cases of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) are rare, and have all been described in patients with the classical variant of the disease. The predisposition of classical Kaposi's sarcoma among Jews is well known. We herein describe five families, all Jews, in which two members have Kaposi's sarcoma. To our knowledge, this has been the largest reported series of familial Kaposi's sarcoma.


METHODS
The clinical course, management and response to therapy were described and compared with other published cases.


RESULTS
No similarity was found in any of the families in time and age of onset of the disease, or in the severity and course of the disease among the members of the same family. There was a high incidence of second neoplasms among these familial cases.


CONCLUSIONS
We discuss the potential implications of second neoplasms based on our understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease, as well as the influence or predisposal of some genetic mechanisms to the development of Kaposi's sarcoma.
Weissmann-Brenner
A
A
Department of Dermatology, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.
Friedman-Birnbaum
R
R
Brenner
B
B
D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D007585:Jews; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016609:Neoplasms, Second Primary; D010375:Pedigree; D012514:Sarcoma, Kaposi / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy