Types of Kaposi’s Sarcoma Cancer

A cancer of the lymphatic cells or the red blood vessels, Kaposi sarcoma typically manifests itself as ugly red or brown blotches and tumors on the skin. Called lesions, these blotchy skin growths look bad and can be distressing for the patient, but in most cases have little or no adverse symptoms. In certain cases, however, lesions caused by Kaposi sarcoma (KS) can cause a painful swelling if they occur in places like the legs, groin or eyes. Kaposi sarcoma turns deadly when the lesions grow internally: in the liver, lungs or digestive tract. KS lesions in the digestive tract leads to internal bleeding and KS tumors in the lungs make breathing difficult.

Cancers are typically classified by the area of the body it affects (such as lung or breast cancer) or the types of cells that have become cancerous (blood cancer, bone cancer etc.). Scientifically speaking a cancer is defined by the abnormal changes that occur in a particular cell type in the body. The classification of KS is somewhat different in that it is defined by the specific population group it affects. Regardless of its classification, the symptoms and effects KS has on the patient are virtually the same in every case.

Here are the different types of Kaposi sarcoma:

AIDS related Kaposi sarcoma

In the United States Kaposi sarcoma is closely associated with the AIDS epidemic. AIDS related KS is the most common form of this disease that manifests itself in people who have been affected by HIV, the virus that leads to AIDS. An individual infected with HIV will not necessarily have AIDS right away. The Human immunodeficiency virus can stay dormant in a body for many years before the patient starts exhibiting any AIDS like symptoms. It is only when the virus damages the body’s natural immune system that infections and medical complications arise – at which point the patient is diagnosed as suffering from AIDS. KS is merely one of the many infections that can attack the compromised immune system of an AIDS sufferer. KS in AIDS patients are caused specifically by the Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus.

CD4 is a key protein that the body’s immune system produces to fight off infections. The likelihood of developing KS is closely linked to the levels of the CD4 protein in the bloodstream – individuals suffering from AIDS who have low CD4 levels in the bloodstream and are more likely to contract KS. KS is considered to be an AIDS defining diseases. When an HIV positive individual starts exhibiting clear and present symptoms of Kaposi’s sarcoma, he or she is officially said to be suffering from AIDS.

Advances in HIV treatment have come a long way from the days of the AIDS related KS epidemics in the 1980s. Today HIV sufferers can be treated with what is known as highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) to keep full blown KS from developing. Although HAART has shown itself to be a remarkably effective treatment for HIV patients, it is not 100% effective against KS. Cases of severe KS can still breakout in HIV patients who are undergoing HAART. In such cases additional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation and special drugs are used in conjunction with HAART to control aggressive KS outbreaks. In many developing countries where HAART drugs are difficult to obtain, KS related complications causes AIDS patients to die as quickly as 6 months after diagnosis.

Classic or Mediterranean Kaposi sarcoma

More common among men than women, classic KS is found among older people of Mediterranean, Eastern European or Middle Eastern descent. Classic KS manifests itself in lesions around the legs, ankles and soles of the feet and is a much slower acting disease when compared to other forms of KS which are much more aggressive. Lesions do not grow or expand as rapidly as, say, AIDS related KS.

Less prevalent in the US or northern Europe than epidemic KS, Classic KS is found in Mediterranean, Eastern European and Middle Eastern communities with relatively high rates of KS herpesvirus infections. Another distinction between Classic and epidemic KS is that the immune systems of Classic KS sufferers are not as weak as that of an AIDS patient, although they are weaker than a healthy person’s immune system. A human’s immune system weakens with age, meaning that people with prior KS herpesvirus infections are more likely to develop full blown Classic KS as they reach an advanced age.

Endemic or African Kaposi sarcoma

The term used for KS infections in people living in Equatorial Africa, Endemic KS is also sometimes called African KS. Endemic KS is prevalent in Africa due to the high rates of KS herpesvirus infection among the population. Unlike Classic KS, Endemic KS occurs among all age groups, and can even be found in women and children.

Endemic KS is normally found in young people under 40 – some rare cases of the disease have even been observed in prepubescent children. Such types of Endemic KS infections in young children are especially deadly, attacking the lymphatic system and other organs leading to death in less than a year.

Endemic KS was at one time the prevalent form of KS in Africa, but the rise of the AIDS epidemic in the continent has made epidemic KS much more common.

Iatrogenic, or transplant-associated Kaposi sarcoma

A relatively rare form of KS, Iatrogenic KS occurs in people who have experienced organ transplant surgery. Patients undergoing during organ transplants the patient are given immunosuppressant drugs to suppress their body’s own immune system from attacking and killing the transplanted organ. Immunosuppressant drugs increases the chance of the body accepting a new organ by greatly weakening the body’s natural immune system. Doing this, however, greatly increases the risk of a nascent KS herpesvirus infection developing into a full blown KS. The best way of dealing with an outbreak of Iatrogenic KS is to stop taking or lowering the dose of the immunosuppressant drugs. Doing so often causes the characteristic KS lesions to get smaller disappear altogether.

Kaposi sarcoma outbreaks in sexually active gay men who are HIV negative

Recent studies have shown KS forming in sexually active gay men, who have not been infected with HIV. The symptoms in such KS cases are mild and similar to Classic KS.