Clinical and laboratory characteristics, staging, and outcomes of individuals with AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma at an university hospital

BACKGROUND: Kaposi's sarcoma continues to be the most common human immunodeficiency virus - associated neoplasm with considerable morbidity and mortality. OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical and laboratory characteristics, initial staging, and outcomes of aids patients with Kaposi's sarcoma at an university hospital of Recife, Pernambuco. METHODS: This is a descriptive study with analytic character, retrospective, of a case series between 2004 and 2014. RESULTS: Of the 22 patients included in the study, 20 were aged <40 years (72.7%). The majority had CD4+ T lymphocyte counts of <200 cells/mm(3) (77.3%) and human immunodeficiency virus loads of <100,000 copies/mL (78.9%). Lesions were most commonly observed on the skin (90%), and internal organs were affected in 11 of the 22 patients. Only 7 (31.8%) of the 22 patients were undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART) at the time of Kaposis sarcoma diagnosis, and the initial disease staging classification was high risk (Aids Clinical Trials Group Oncology Committee) in 19 of the 22 patients (86.4%). Regarding Kaposi's sarcoma treatment, 17 of 22 patients (77.3%) underwent systemic chemotherapy + ART and 5 were treated exclusively with ART. Eight of the 22 patients died (36.5%); of these, 87.5% had died within one year of Kaposi's sarcoma diagnosis. LIMITATION OF THE STUDY: Without a control group, this study cannot be used to generate hypotheses. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the association between aids and late Kaposi's sarcoma diagnosis in the study population, including an unfavorable risk at the time of staging, a lower mortality rate was observed relative to other studies; this might be related to access to a specialized health service.