Kaposi's Sarcoma Herpesvirus: twenty years after its discovery

Abstract

Twenty years after the discovery of Kaposi's Sarcoma Herpes Virus (KSHV), many aspects of the pathogenesis have been discovered and innovative approaches are presently applied to the diagnosis and treatment of KSHV associated diseases. The virus is coupled to different types of cancers, as well as to syndromes combined with increased inflammatory response or with immunoreconstitution in immunocompromised hosts. The etiopathological diagnosis of KSHV associated cancers relies on the demonstration of the virus in tumor samples, as well as in the peripheral blood of infected subjects. Novel treatment strategies related to the pathogenetic events of KSHV associated diseases have been recently studied, that are based on drugs able to induce oncolysis by promoting a viral lytic phase or on the blockade of v-IL6, a cytokine with tumor promoting activities. In addition, antiangiogenetic strategies have also been applied to treat KSHV associated cancers. Despite these important discoveries, some aspects of KSHV associated diseases are presently not completely clear and, consequently, response to treatment strategies is still suboptimal.