Is classic Kaposi's sarcoma endemic in Peru?: report of a case in an indigenous patient

Abstract

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) has been classified in four clinical variants (classic or Mediterranean; endemic or African; epidemic or AIDS-related; iatrogenic or immunosuppression-related). Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8), has been found in all these variants. We herein discuss the unusual presentation of a 53-year-old indigenous patient with purplish-brown nodular lesions on lower extremities, and miliary tuberculosis. ELISA-HIV tests were negative and immunohistochemistry (IHC) of the tumor tissue was positive for HHV-8. This is the first reported case in which the presence of HHV-8 was evidenced by means of IHC techniques in Peru. We also review all available Peruvian literature of classic KS, a disease that has been frequently reported in indigenous population of Peru since 1968, making this country a possible endemic zone of classic KS.