title: Thalidomide in the treatment of Kaposi's sarcoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a lymphangioproliferative tumour. Therapy of KS depends on the characteristics of the disease, especially area and growth rate of lesions, and patient condition. Currently symptomatic resectable lesions are excised, whereas more advanced disease and unresectable lesions are treated with radiotherapy. If a large area or internal organs are affected or other treatments fail, chemotherapy is used. Recently some authors have reported their encouraging experience in the use of thalidomide in patients with AIDS-related KS.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the efficacy of thalidomide in 3 patients with non-AIDS-related KS.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two patients with classic widespread cutaneous and 1 with iatrogenic cutaneous and visceral KS were treated with thalidomide (100 mg/day) for 12 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all 3 patients partial remission was evident after 4 months of thalidomide therapy; in 2 out of 3 complete remission was achieved after 12 months of treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results seem to confirm the utility of thalidomide in the treatment of non-AIDS-related KS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine and Immunological Sciences, Section of Dermatology, University of Siena, Siena, Italy. rubegni@unisi.it
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rubegni
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sbano
authors.forename: Giovambattista
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Aloe
authors.forename: Maria Laura
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Flori
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fimiani
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D000077269:Lenalidomide; D012514:Sarcoma, Kaposi / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013792:Thalidomide / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use*