Disseminated Kaposi Sarcoma in a Patient With Hematemesis: A Case Report

Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is a soft tissue tumor primarily occurring in immunosuppressed patients and, although it has been described, dissemination of KS is rare. This case involves a patient with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and biopsy-proven cutaneous KS presenting with hematemesis suspected due to gastrointestinal involvement in whom endoscopy with biopsy was contraindicated due to dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) and the hypervascular nature of KS tumors. Alternatively, the diagnosis was made via macroscopic findings on bronchoscopy, which demonstrated neovascular lesions, confirming visceral KS. Treatment of disseminated KS generally consists of a combination of high-activity antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and chemotherapy; however, due to financial concerns, this patient was transferred to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where he received free systemic chemotherapy. On follow-up less than three months later, he had no further symptoms or pulmonary lesions. This case adds to current knowledge by providing alternative pathways for diagnosis of and treatment strategies for patients with disseminated Kaposi Sarcoma.