Classic Kaposi's sarcoma in Arabs living in Israel, 1970-1993: a population-based incidence study

The incidence of classic Kaposi's sarcoma (CKS) has been reported to be high in Jewish populations living in Israel and in immigrants originating from the Mediterranean basin. No population-based reports are available on the incidence of CKS in Israeli Arabs. We analyzed the incidence of CKS cases occurring between 1970 and 1993 among Arabs living in Israel. Reporting systems were the Israel Cancer Registry, the medical documentation of all-Kaposi's sarcoma cases and the registry of human immunodeficiency virus-seropositive patients. Population figures were derived for census surveys (1972 and 1983) and inter-census data based on annual updating of demographic characteristics. Age-standardized incidence rates (ASR) were 6.87 per million in men and 2.18 per million in women. The ASR did not increase between 1970 and 1993 in either men or women. The age-adjusted male to female ratio was 2.0 below 50 years of age and 3.5 above it. The observation of a stable and relatively high incidence of CKS in Israel-born Arabs, comparable to other populations living in the Mediterranean basin, suggests that risk is related to geographical origin. CKS incidence, however, is lower than that in Israel-born Jews.