Kaposi's sarcoma

Abstract

Sixty three patients with Kaposi's sarcoma (1935–1963) have been reviewed. Of this group 18 patients died of a secondary primary. The second primaries included 5 cases of Hodgkin's disease, 3 of lymphosarcoma, 3 of carcinoma of the colon and one each of multiple myeloma, malignant melanoma, carcinoma of the prostate, carcinoma of the tongue, carcinoma of the tonsil, carcinoma of the pancreas and carcinoma of the breast. The mortality rate from the second primary was higher than the mortality of the disease itself. Eleven patients died of disease, with a mean survival time of 9 years. The disease was more common in women in this group than has been described previously; 12 patients were female. The disease seems to follow a more benign course in the female. Only one patient in this group died of the disease. The most successful therapy was irradiation. A diversity of chemotherapeutic agents were used on advanced cases. No response of the disease was recorded in these patients' records.