Kaposi's sarcoma

In the era before the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, Kaposi's sarcoma was a rare cutaneous event. Most reported cases usually originated from one of two geographic regions, an induced immunosuppressed state, or sporadically with various neoplasms that have been known to cause immunosuppression. Since the first cases described with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in 1981 from New York and San Francisco, this uncommon disorder has had an increased incidence that crosses geographic boundaries. This article describes the current understanding of the pathogenesis of Kaposi's sarcoma and treatments used to ameliorate this disorder.