[Kaposi disease and sex hormones: apropos of a case, review of the literature]

Abstract

The authors report one case of AIDS-related-like Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) in a 59-year-old bisexual man without HIV-1 and HIV-2 infection. KS developed while the patient was receiving both androgen and steroid therapy for aplastic anemia, and regressed after their simultaneous interruption, despite the persistence of aplastic anemia. The authors discuss the etiology of KS in the patient, with a special regard to a putative role of the androgen therapy. The authors examine the arguments of the literature, probably underestimated, that may suggest a role of sex hormones in the pathogenesis of KS.