[Epidemiology of Kaposi's sarcoma in Africa]

The epidemiology of Kaposi's sarcoma in Africa south of the Sahara is reviewed. The disease is characterized by its high incidence in natives only and by the presence of the lymphadenopathic form of children with fast evolution, but is otherwise not very different from the classical form. Incidence increases with age. The mean younger age of patients is a consequence of the demographic structure. The disease prevails always in males even, though to a lesser extent, in children. Maximal incidence is observed in the center of the continent and decreases at distance from the equator. No defined risk factor has been identified, geographical, tribal or socio-economical. Associations to other malignancies, especially lymphomas, appear uncommon in Africa, but might be underestimated. The three main clinical forms of the disease are probably epidemiologically different and the infantile form could be related to some unidentified immunosuppressive factor. The disease appears ancient in Africa and not directly related to the present A.I.D.S. epidemic, though a recent increase in aggressive Kaposi's sarcoma cases may be associated with it.