Regression of AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma during therapy with thalidomide

A 14-year-old girl with HIV infection and subcutaneous Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) received thalidomide therapy for oral ulcers, resulting in regression of KS lesions, disappearance of KS-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) DNA from blood, and reduced viral load in tumor tissue. Administration of grauntocyte colony-stimulating factor resulted in clinical exacerbation of KS and reappearance of KSHV DNA in blood.