Kaposi's sarcoma in patients infected with human virus (HIV): an overview

The emergence of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) among patients with HIV infection has raised a number of unsolved questions. The particular epidemiology and the etiology of KS remain unclear while both inflammatory cytokines and HIV-derived proteins appear to be involved in its pathogenesis as shown with the aid of in vitro KS-like cell cultures of animal models. Since KS rarely occurs among HIV-positive Caucasian females, sexual hormones, especially beta Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, have recently been reported as providing theoretically some protection against KS both in vitro and in vivo. All these aspects will be detailed as well as the therapeutic approaches which still remain unsatisfactory. So far, there is no curative treatment for KS and drug-induced toxicity is the limiting factor for the prolonged use of the current approaches. Perspectives for therapy will be discussed.