Kaposi's sarcoma

Kaposi's sarcoma is a cancer of blood-vessel and lymphatic-vessel cells, usually associated with human herpesvirus 8. It often appears as red, purple, or brown lesions on the skin.

Human herpesvirus 8: A herpesvirus that establishes lifelong infection and is associated with Kaposi's sarcoma and several other cancers. Its infection is necessary for nearly all cases, though most infected people never develop the cancer.
AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma: A form of Kaposi's sarcoma occurring in people with HIV infection, often with extensive skin or internal disease. It became a defining AIDS-associated cancer, and its course is strongly affected by HIV control.
Skin biopsy: A procedure that removes a small skin sample for microscopic examination. Biopsy can confirm suspected Kaposi's sarcoma by revealing characteristic spindle cells and vascular spaces.
Bacillary angiomatosis: A vascular skin or organ infection caused by Bartonella bacteria, especially in people with weakened immunity. It can mimic Kaposi's sarcoma clinically but is an infection treated with antibiotics.
AIDS-defining illness: A disease whose presence in a person with HIV meets criteria for an AIDS diagnosis. Kaposi's sarcoma is among the cancers that can define progression to AIDS.
Angiogenesis: The formation of new blood vessels from existing vessels, regulated by signals between cells. Vessel growth and abnormal vascular channels contribute to the appearance and structure of lesions.
Classic Kaposi's sarcoma: A usually slow-growing form that chiefly affects older adults of Mediterranean or Eastern European ancestry. This form often presents as chronic lesions on the lower legs without severe immune suppression.
Immunohistochemistry: A laboratory method that detects specific proteins in tissue using labeled antibodies. Staining for HHV-8 LANA helps distinguish Kaposi's sarcoma from look-alike vascular lesions.
Cherry angioma: A common benign growth of small blood vessels that appears as a red or purple skin papule. Its color can resemble a small Kaposi's sarcoma lesion, but it is noncancerous.
HIV/AIDS epidemic: The global epidemic of HIV infection and its associated illness and mortality. The rise of AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma helped reveal the scale of immune suppression caused by HIV.

Linked from 3 pages