Clinical and Endoscopic Characterization of Gastrointestinal Kaposi’s Sarcoma in an Institution in Southwestern Colombia between 2011 and 2020

Abstract

Kaposi’s sarcoma is an angioproliferative neoplasm associated with the human herpesvirus 8. According to the clinical characteristics and the degree of immunosuppression, there are four epidemiological forms: classic, endemic, iatrogenic, and epidemic. The latter is associated with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and 40% GI involvement. There is little epidemiological, clinical, and endoscopic evidence of the disease. This study sought to characterize this condition in a Colombian population and compare the findings with publications from other countries. One hundred thirty-five records of patients who consulted between 2011 and 2020 for Kaposi’s sarcoma were reviewed, of which 24 had GI involvement. Epidemiological, clinical, endoscopic, and treatment characteristics were obtained. Twenty-two patients were men. There were 21 patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV; 87.5%) and 19 receiving antiretroviral therapy (90%); 33.3% had HIV viral load > 100,000 copies/mL. The CD4+ count was <50 cells/μL in 28.6% of cases, between 50 and 100 cells/μL in 19.0%, and between 100 and 200 cells/μL in 14.4%. The rate of infection by other opportunistic infections was 41.7%. There were GI symptoms in 33% of the patients, and the most frequent were hematochezia, abdominal pain, nausea, and diarrhea. Most had concomitant skin lesions (70.8%). GI lesions were located mainly in the oropharynx (41.7%), stomach (20.8%), and colon (16.7%). The most common endoscopic finding was maculopapular erythema. This article provided insight into the local epidemiology of gastrointestinal Kaposi’s sarcoma. In contrast to studies in other populations, GI symptoms were more frequent in this one, and there was a difference in endoscopic findings. Studies with larger populations are needed.