Kaposi sarcoma

Kaposi's sarcoma is a cancer that causes patches of abnormal tissue to grow under the skin, in the lining of the mouth, nose, and throat or in other organs. The patches are usually red or purple and are made of cancer cells and blood cells. The red and purples patches often cause no symptoms, though they may be painful. If the cancer spreads to the digestive tract or lungs, bleeding can result. Lung tumors can make breathing hard.

Symptoms

· Kaposi's sarcoma is a disease in which cancer or malignant cells are found in the tissues under the skin or mucous membranes that line the mouth, nose and anus.

· Lymph nodes are small, bean-shaped structures that are found throughout the body. They produce and store infection-fighting cells. The doctor also may recommend other tests to see if the patient has other diseases.

· Person may follow an illness of months or years. During this time, the patient may have had non-specific symptoms such as fever, weight loss and sweating. Possibly there were other illnesses, such as lymphoma or tuberculosis, before the first KS lesion developed.

Causes and prevention

· 1.People who have kidney or other organ transplants are also at risk for Kaposi's sarcoma

· 2. In people with AIDS, Kaposi's sarcoma is caused by an interaction between HIV, a weakened immune system

Medical Tests & Diagnosis

Despite its name, it is generally not considered a true sarcoma, which is a tumor arising from mesenchymal tissue. KS actually arises as a cancer of lymphatic endothelium and forms vascular channels that fill with blood cells, giving the tumor its characteristic bruise-like appearance. KSHV proteins are uniformly detected in KS cancer cells.

Although KS may be suspected from the appearance of lesions and the patient's risk factors, definite diagnosis can only be made by biopsy and microscopic examination, which will show the presence of spindle cells. Detection of the KSHV protein LANA in tumor cells confirms the diagnosis.

Other tests are

· CT scan

· Endoscopy

· Skin lesion biopsy

Treatments

Computed tomography (CT): is a medical imaging method employing tomography created by computer processing. Digital geometry processing is used to generate a three-dimensional image of the inside of an object from a large series of two-dimensional X-ray images taken around a single axis of rotation

Radiation therapy: Radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy) is a type of local therapy. It affects cells only in the treated area. Radiation therapy is used alone for small tumors or for patients who cannot have surgery. It may be used before surgery to kill cancer cells and shrink the tumor. It also may be used after surgery to destroy cancer cells that may remain in the area.