title: Kaposi's sarcoma, a South African perspective: Demographic and pathological features.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The incidence of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) has increased dramatically since the onset of the AIDS epidemic. Of the estimated 66 200 cases of KS worldwide, 58 800 are considered to have occurred in sub-Saharan Africa.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the epidemiology and pathological characteristics of KS at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective cross-sectional study design was used. Nine hundred and thirty-eight histopathology reports of KS diagnosed in 901 patients at CHBAH between 2005 and 2009 were reviewed. Age, gender, topographic site, CD4 count, HIV status, KS histological stage, findings of human herpesvirus 8 latency-associated nuclear antigen 1 immunohistochemistry and concomitant pathological findings were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The male/female ratio was 1.2:1, the mean age 37 years and the median CD4 count 128 cells/µL. Lower limb skin biopsies accounted for 49.6% of cases. Paediatric, visceral and endemic KS accounted for only limited proportions (1.4%, 1.4% and 1.3% of biopsies, respectively). There were concomitant pathological findings in 4.6% of biopsy specimens, infections and inflammatory dermatoses being the most frequent.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings of this study highlight the need for allocation of diagnostic and treatment resources for KS. Documentation of the various demographic aspects of KS will prove to be of historical, clinical and histopathological interest as the long-term outcomes of antiretroviral therapy begin to emerge.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomical Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand and National Health Laboratory Service, Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa. reena.mohanlal@nhls.ac.za.
authors.forename: Reena Dhansukh
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Mohanlal
authors.forename: Sugeshnee
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pather
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000097:blood; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000097:blood; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012514:Sarcoma, Kaposi / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; C109540:latency-associated nuclear antigen