Steroid-related development of Kaposi's sarcoma in a homosexual man with Burkitt's lymphoma

The development of Kaposi's sarcoma has been associated with either iatrogenic or disease-related immunodeficiency. This report describes a homosexual man who presented with Burkitt's lymphoma and later had pneumonitis, which was treated with a high dose of corticosteroids. Kaposi's sarcoma subsequently developed, and regressed completely when the chemotherapy and corticosteroid therapy were withdrawn. The evidence from the literature relating corticosteroid therapy to the development of Kaposi's sarcoma is discussed, as well as the possible multifactorial origin of the immunodeficiency in which setting this tumor occurs. The observations in this patient suggest that corticosteroids should be used with extreme caution in patients with acquired immunodeficiency and those at risk for its development.