Gastrointestinal Kaposi Sarcoma: A Rare Case of an Isolated Rectal Lesion in an Immunocompetent HIV-Negative Patient

Andy Silva-Santisteban; Sultan Mahmood; Wilfor Diaz Fernandez; Harry J Rosenberg; Poojaben Dhorajiya; Samuel Igbinedion; Erik Holzwanger; Mandeep S Sawhney; Douglas K Pleskow; Moamen Gabr; Tyler M Berzin

doi:10.14309/crj.0000000000001210

Gastrointestinal Kaposi Sarcoma: A Rare Case of an Isolated Rectal Lesion in an Immunocompetent HIV-Negative Patient

ACG Case Rep J. 2023 Dec 21;10(12):e01210. doi: 10.14309/crj.0000000000001210. eCollection 2023 Dec.

Affiliations

¹ Center for Advanced Endoscopy, Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
² Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
³ Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.

Abstract

Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is a pathological endothelial growth associated with human herpes virus-8 which primarily affects the skin. In HIV-negative men who have sex with men, the clinical presentation of KS resembles the classic form limited to cutaneous or multifocal disease. In this report, we present a unique case of a healthy 61-year-old man who has sex with men with an isolated gastrointestinal KS who does not meet criteria for any of the typical KS clinical variants. Proper follow-up and regular HIV screenings are needed to evaluate the potential progression course of the disease in these patients.

Keywords: HHV-8; non-AIDS; rectal kaposi sarcoma.

Publication types

Case Reports