skin disorders
Kaposi Sarcoma
Treatment of Kaposi Sarcoma
For people with one or two spots, various removal methods For people with many spots, many affected areas, or affected lymph nodes, radiation therapy and chemotherapy For the AIDS-associated type, antiretroviral medications and removal methods or antiretroviral medications and chemotherapy Treatment varies depending on the type of sarcoma. Older men with slow-growing classic Kaposi sarcoma in one or two spots may have the tumors removed surgically, with extreme cold (cryosurgery), or with an electrical current (electrocoagulation).Imiquimodcream,alitretinoingel, or injections ofvinblastineor interferon alfa into the spots may also be used to remove the spots. Some people with very few spots and no other symptoms may choose to receive no treatment unless the condition spreads. People who have many spots, many affected areas, or affected lymph nodes receive Radiation Therapy for Cancer and People who have a more aggressive form that affects internal organs, but whose immune system is normal, often respond to interferon alfa or, more often, Chemotherapy and Other Systemic Cancer Treatments given by vein. In people taking immunosuppressant medications, the tumors sometimes disappear when immunosuppressant medications are stopped. However, if these medications must be continued because of the person’s underlying condition, the dose is reduced. If the dose of immunosuppressants cannot be reduced, surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy are used. People may also be given an immunosuppressant medication calledsirolimus. These treatment methods are less successful than in people with a healthy immune system. In people with AIDS, treatment with chemotherapy and radiation has not been very successful. However, intensive treatment with Antiretroviral Treatment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection (ART) helps. Some people who have the AIDS-associated type need only ART and the removal methods noted above. Other people who have the AIDS-associated type may need chemotherapy (such as The endemic type is difficult to treat. Doctors typically make sure people are comfortable and free of pain and that their symptoms are fully treated. Spots that appear in people who have this type of sarcoma are treated the same way as in Classic Kaposi sarcoma . 