Kaposi's sarcoma in renal transplant recipients: Role of immunosuppression and HHV-8

Over ten years a total of 466 renal transplant recipients were followed at UCSC Organ Transplant Center. Ten cases of Kaposi's sarcoma have been diagnosed (8 males, 2 females; mean age 47,7 years). All the patients where HIV-1 seronegative. The onset of KS occurred 3 month 4 years after transplantation (mean: 22,7 months). The disease was limited to the skin in seven cases and involved internal organs in the remaining three. Five patients experienced complete remission of the disease following reduction or suspension of the immunosuppressive therapy. We tested for HHV-8 KS tissues, blood samples, saliva tonsillar swabs, and urine. Using simple and nested PCR. The high incidence of KS in this population (2.15%), as compared to that reported in other transplant patients groups, suggests that, besides viral infection, genetic predisposition may play a pathogenetic role. However immunosuppression is the leading factor in transplant patients.