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Case Reports
. 2024 Jul 19;16(7):e64938.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.64938. eCollection 2024 Jul.

Pleural Kaposi Sarcoma in Two HIV-Positive Patients

Douaa Abou Hamdan  1 , Ghadir Hayek  2 , Pierre Abi Hanna  3   1 , Michelle Saliba  3 , Issam Chehade  4 , Rozan Youssef  5 , Farah Assi  1   6
Affiliations
Case Reports

Pleural Kaposi Sarcoma in Two HIV-Positive Patients

Douaa Abou Hamdan et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Kaposi sarcoma is a neoplasm caused by human herpes virus 8 (HHV-8) that commonly presents as subcutaneous lesions but can also involve visceral organs such as the gastrointestinal and pulmonary systems. Diagnosis is achieved through histopathological analysis of cutaneous lesions or lymph nodes. In this study, we report two patients, recently diagnosed with HIV, who were later found to have cutaneous and visceral (pleural) Kaposi sarcoma. In both cases, the patients presented with dyspnea accompanied by cutaneous lesions and bilateral pleural effusion. Unfortunately, the first patient did not survive long enough for treatment initiation. The second patient, however, demonstrated a favorable response to a treatment regimen comprising highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and liposomal doxorubicin.

Keywords: aids-defining illness; haart; hiv; liposomal doxorubicin; pleural kaposi sarcoma.

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Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Mucocutaneous lesions of Kaposi sarcoma in Case 1. (A) skin lesions on the lower extremity and pelvic area; (B) oral mucosa lesions on the hard palate.
Figure 2
Figure 2. CECT of the chest in Case 1 showing (A, B) a moderate amount of bilateral pleural effusions (red arrows) and (B) congested lung parenchyma (red arrowheads).
A, mediastinal view; B, lung view CECT: contrast-enhanced computed tomography
Figure 3
Figure 3. Mucocutaneous lesions of Kaposi sarcoma in Case 2. (A) Oral mucosal lesions on the hard palate; (B) Cutaneous lesions on the upper extremity; (C) Cutaneous lesions on the lower extremity.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Non-enhanced CT scan of the chest in Case 2 showing (A, B, C) a moderate amount of bilateral loculated pleural effusion (red arrows) with (B, C) bilateral lung consolidation (blue arrows).
A, B, lung view; C, mediastinal view
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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