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Treatment of AIDS-Associated Kaposi Sarcoma
Source: Kaposi Sarcoma Treatment (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version, National Cancer Institute.
Source updated: May 7, 2025 · Captured 2026-09-09.
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Treatment of AIDS-associated Kaposi sarcoma (KS) may result in the following:
The disappearance or reduction in size of specific skin lesions, thereby alleviating the discomfort associated with the chronic edema and ulcerations that often accompany multiple skin tumors seen on the lower extremities.
Control of symptoms associated with mucosal or visceral lesions.
No data are available to show that treatment improves survival.[1] In addition to antitumor treatment, essential components of an optimal KS treatment strategy in this population include antiretroviral treatment, prophylaxis for opportunistic infections, and rapid recognition and treatment of intercurrent infections. Therefore, close collaboration between oncologists and HIV specialists is vital.
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Most patients with good-risk disease, defined by the AIDS Clinical Trials Group as T0, show tumor regression with antiretroviral therapy alone.[2-4] Patients with poor-risk disease, defined as T1, usually require a combination of antiretroviral therapy and chemotherapy with discontinuation of the chemotherapy after disappearance of the skin lesion.[2-4]
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