AIDS-related Kaposi's Sarcoma of the Nasopharynx

Miao-Chun Yang ^{a, b}, Yung-Hsiang Hsu ^{b, c}, Dai-Wei Liu ^{b, d}, Yu-Fu Chou ^{a, b}

^aDepartment of Otolaryngology, Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital, Hualien, Taiwan
^bSchool of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan
^cDepartment of Pathology, Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital, Hualien, Taiwan
^dDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital, Hualien, Taiwan

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Abstract

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is an acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related malignancy and may present in the head and neck as an initial sign of AIDS. However, it is rare in the nasopharynx. We report a 28-year-old man who complained of postnasal drip and occasional bloody saliva for 2 months. A purple-red bulging nasopharyngeal tumor was found on examination; a biopsy specimen proved that it was KS with positive human herpes virus type 8 (HHV-8) staining in the tumor cell nuclei. AIDS was diagnosed when enzyme immunoassay and Western blot were positive for serum human immunodeficiency virus. Antiviral therapy was given to treat AIDS, and low-dose radiation was given to treat nasopharyngeal KS with a complete response.

Keywords

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; Kaposi's sarcoma; Nasopharynx