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Treatments of AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma.

Aversa SM, Cattelan AM, Salvagno L, Crivellari G, Banna G, Trevenzoli M, Chiarion-Sileni V, Monfardini S

Oncology Division, Azienda Ospedaliera di Padova, Via Gattamelata 64, 35218 Padova, Italy. savina.aversa@sanita.padova.it

Although Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) has decreased in countries where the highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) regimen is available, however it remains, after non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, the most common malignancy in HIV+ patients. Advances in the treatment of AIDS-KS have been achieved, even though a gold standard therapy has not been yet defined. With the availability of HAART, a dramatic KS clinical response has been documented, making HAART essential in all patients. In case of aggressive and/or life threatening KS, more complex therapeutic schedules have to be taken into account, including chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy. Liposomal anthracyclines and paclitaxel have been approved by FDA as first line and second line mono-therapy, respectively. Interferon-alpha (INF-alpha) is the only immunomodulant agent to have shown a therapeutic effect. Among the new drugs, many antiangiogenetic agents have produced encouraging responses. Finally, the identification of the HHV-8 as a causative agent and new metalloproteinase inhibitors may offer promising targets for the KS treatment.

Published 18 February 2005 in Crit Rev Oncol Hematol, 53(3): 253-65.
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