Cutaneous Kaposi Sarcoma as a Presenting Sign of HIV: A Case Report

Simran Kalsi; Kaya L Curtis; Sarah Nocco; Linglei Ma; Shari Lipner

doi:10.7759/cureus.51043

Cutaneous Kaposi Sarcoma as a Presenting Sign of HIV: A Case Report

Cureus. 2023 Dec 24;15(12):e51043. doi: 10.7759/cureus.51043. eCollection 2023 Dec.

Authors

Simran Kalsi¹, Kaya L Curtis², Sarah Nocco², Linglei Ma³, Shari Lipner²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medicine, Division of Dermatology, Larner College of Medicine, Burlington, USA.
² Department of Dermatology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, USA.
³ Department of Pathology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA.

Abstract

We present the case of a 68-year-old man with no known risk factors for HIV infection who developed a new, rapidly growing lesion on the left medial foot. The lesion was biopsied and found to be consistent with Kaposi sarcoma (KS). He subsequently tested positive for HIV and developed cellulitis of the left lower extremity. Treatment involved empiric antibiotics, surgical excision of the lesion, radiation therapy, and antiretroviral therapy. The development of KS with no known history of HIV/AIDS is uncommon, with only a few reported cases. We provide a summary of 18 cases in the current literature of cutaneous KS as an initial presenting sign of HIV/AIDS.

Keywords: cancer; dermatopathology; hiv aids; kaposi sarcoma; malignancy.

Publication types

Case Reports