Kaposi's sarcoma in pregnancy two case reports

✍ Scribed by J. F. Taylor; A. C. Templeton; S. Kylwazi; A. Lubega

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1971
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 336 KB
• Volume: 58
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0007-1323
• DOI: 10.1002/bjs.1800580808

✦ Synopsis

MAKERERE UNIVERSITY, KAMPALA, AND THE UGANDA CANCER INSTITUTE, UGANDA 'IDIOPATHIC' multiple pigmented sarcoma of the skin was first described by Kaposi in 1872. It is a malignant tumour made up of spindle cells, endothelial cells, and histiocytes in varying proportions. It is thought that these derive from a primitive mesenchymal cell (Murray and Lothe, 1962; Spencer, 1966).

The condition is rare in most countries of the world, but is prevalent among adult males in equatorial Africa, the sex ratio being 12 males to I female (Slavin, Cameron, and Singh, 1969). Only 4 per cent of cases occur in children, with a male : female ratio of 3 : I . This observation has led to speculation African girl in whom Kaposi's sarcoma developed during the second month of pregnancy at a time when she might be expected to have high levels of circulating oestrogen and progesterone. A further patient is described who was pregnant twice during the time that she suffered from Kaposi's sarcoma.