A rare case of bilateral conjunctival Kaposi's sarcoma in a HIV-negative patient

Federica Fossataro; Adriana Iuliano; Giovanni Uccello; Vittoria Lanni; Luca D'Andrea; Massimo Mascolo; Antonio Travaglino; Fausto Tranfa

doi:10.1016/j.ajoc.2021.101024

A rare case of bilateral conjunctival Kaposi's sarcoma in a HIV-negative patient

Am J Ophthalmol Case Rep. 2021 Jan 31:21:101024. doi: 10.1016/j.ajoc.2021.101024. eCollection 2021 Mar.

Authors

Federica Fossataro¹, Adriana Iuliano¹, Giovanni Uccello¹, Vittoria Lanni¹, Luca D'Andrea¹, Massimo Mascolo², Antonio Travaglino², Fausto Tranfa¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive Sciences and Dentistry, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.
² Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, Pathology Unit. University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.

Abstract

Purpose: Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a rare multi-centric vascular neoplasm, first described by Moritz Kaposi in 1872. It can appear in four different forms: classic, endemic, HIV-related and post-transplant form. We present an uncommon case of seronegative HIV infection patient with skin KS involving conjunctiva of both eyes.

Observations: Firstly, right eye lesions were surgically removed. Subsequently, the patient was administered with systemic chemotherapy (doxorubicin) to treat both skin and left eye lesions. No signs of recurrence were observed at 20 months' follow-up.

Conclusions: Both eyes involvement in KS is rarely described in scientific literature. Both surgery and chemotherapy could be considered valid treatment options for conjunctival KS.

Keywords: Eyelid; Kaposi's sarcoma; Oncology; Skin cancer.

Publication types

Case Reports