Kaposi sarcoma, the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital experience: demographics of Kaposi sarcoma and HHV8 immunohistochemical expression in a retrospective cohort of cases

Date
2014
Authors
Mohanlal, Reena Dhansukh
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Abstract
According to the UNAIDS global report 2013, an estimated 6.1 million people are living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in South Africa. The incidence of Kaposi sarcoma (KS) has increased dramatically since the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) epidemic. Of the estimated 66 200 cases of KS worldwide, 58 800 are thought to have occurred in SSA (Parkin 2002). However, there remains a paucity of published data about KS from South Africa. This retrospective study was conducted to describe the epidemiology of KS at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (CHBAH) and to determine possible links among the CD4 counts, intensity and distribution of human herpes virus 8 latency- associated nuclear antigen 1 (HHV8 LNA-1) immunohistochemical staining and the stage of KS. Nine hundred and thirty eight histopathology reports of KS diagnosed in 901 patients at CHBAH between 2005 and 2009 were reviewed and demographic data (age, gender, topographic site, CD4 count, HIV status, KS stage, HHV8 LNA-1 staining, concomitant pathology) were recorded. The H&E stained sections and HHV8 LNA-1 immunostains of a cohort of 127 cases were subsequently reviewed and categorised with regard to intensity and distribution of staining. The male:female ratio was 1,2:1. The mean age was 36,8 years (standard deviation {SD} 10,2 years) and the median CD4 count 127,5 cells/mm3 (quartile range {QR} 184,5 cells/mm3). Lower limb skin biopsies accounted for 49,6% of cases. Concomitant pathology was seen in 4,6% of cases. Infections and inflammatory dermatoses were the most frequently diagnosed concomitant pathology in cutaneous biopsies. Paediatric, visceral and endemic KS accounted for only limited proportions of cases (1,44% of patients; 1,4% and 1,3% respectively). There was a significant difference in the distribution of HHV8 LNA-1 staining in patch versus nodular KS (p = 0,011). The CD4 counts were not predictive of KS Page | v stage (p = 0,701) or the intensity (p = 0,877) and distribution (p = 0,846) of HHV8 LNA-1 immunohistochemical staining. This study highlights the epidemiology of KS and the variability in HHV8 LNA-1 immunohistochemical staining across CD4 counts and stages of KS.
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