Kaposi's sarcoma of the brain.A case report with necropsy findings

Abstract

A case of Kaposi's sarcoma involving the brain is described, this being the first of its kind in Uganda. The patient was a 40-year-old woman who presented with a 2-year history of skin tumors on the left ankle that proved resistant to chemotherapy. She therefore underwent an above-knee amputation. Six months after amputation, she developed signs of cerebral involvement, and 6 weeks later she died. Necropsy showed large tumor deposits in bone and lungs as well as in the brain. Histologically the cutaneous tumors consisted of the monomorphic variety, whereas the cerebral and other deposits were anaplastic. In the three cases of cerebral Kaposi's sarcoma hitherto reported from other countries, only minute foci of tumor were found in the brain.