title: Non-AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma: A single-institution experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the outcomes and potential prognostic factors in patients with non-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related Kaposi's sarcoma (KS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with histologically proven non-AIDS-related KS treated with systemic chemotherapy were included in this retrospective analysis. In some cases, the human herpes virus 8 status was assessed by immunohistochemistry. The patients were staged according to the Mediterranean KS staging system. A multivariable model was constructed using a forward stepwise selection procedure. A P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant, and all tests were two-sided.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-two cases were included in this analysis. The average age at diagnosis was 70 years, with a male/female ratio of approximately 2:1. Eighty-four percent of the cases had classic KS. All patients received systemic chemotherapy containing one of the following agents: vinca alkaloid, taxane, and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin. Ten patients (31.5%) experienced a partial response, and a complete response was achieved in four patients (12.4%) and stable disease in sixteen cases (50%). Two patients (6.2%) were refractory to the systemic treatment. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 11.7 mo, whereas the median overall survival was 28.5 mo. At multivariate analysis, the presence of nodular lesions (vs macular lesions only) was significantly related to a lower PFS (hazard ratio: 3.09; 95%CI: 1.18-8.13, P = 0.0133).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Non-AIDS-related KS appears mostly limited to the skin and is well-responsive to systemic therapies. Our data show that nodular lesions may be associated with a shorter PFS in patients receiving chemotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Pasquale Rescigno, Rossella Di Trolio, Carlo Buonerba, Piera Federico, Davide Bosso, Antonella Virtuoso, Michela Izzo, Tania Policastro, Luca Vaccaro, Francesco Perri, Elide Matano, Sabino De Placido, Giovannella Palmieri, Giuseppe Di Lorenzo, Genitourinary Cancer Section and Rare-Cancer Center, Medical Oncology Division, University Federico II, 80131 Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rescigno
authors.forename: Rossella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Di Trolio
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Buonerba
authors.forename: Gaia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Fata
authors.forename: Piera
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Federico
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bosso
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Virtuoso
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Izzo
authors.forename: Tania
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Policastro
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vaccaro
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cimmino
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Perri
authors.forename: Elide
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Matano
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Delfino
authors.forename: Sabino
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: De Placido
authors.forename: Giovannella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Palmieri
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Lorenzo
keywords: Human herpes virus 8; Kaposi’s sarcoma; Paclitaxel; Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin; Vinblastine