Kaposi’s Sarcoma
Kaposi Sarcoma or KS is a type of cancer that can develop in the cells of blood vessels and lymph. You can first see is tumor develop on the skin or is can also develop on mucosal surfaces like in the mouth. These tumors can also be on different part of the body such as the lungs or even the digestive tract or lymph nodes. They appear as brown, red, or even purple blotches on the skin but KS can also be seen as a tumor on the skin. These lesions appear mostly on the face and legs of the person. The look by but most patients don’t have and discomfort but ones in the groin and leg area can be painful if they begin to swell.
Kaposi Sarcoma can cause very serious problem or could even led to death if the lesions are in the liver, digestive tract, or liver. This can cause bleeding or trouble breathing in the patient. There are a few types of Kaposi Sarcoma that patients suffer from, Epidemic KS, Classic KS, Endemic KS, and Latrogenic KS. Epidemic KS is when the illness shows up in patients that are HIV positive. This is usually a sign that they have full blown AIDS. In the 80s, this is how most people found out that they were sick with the virus.
Classic KS usually occurs in people from Middle East, Eastern European, or Mediterranean heritage. And if more common in men than it is in woman. This one isn’t because of a weak immune system but one that might be a little weaker than usual. It happens when people that have the Herpes Virus have an infection and then it will develop into KS.
Endemic or African KS happens to people that live in Africa. Since the Herpes Virus is more common in Africa, people can get KS easier and since this group of people have a weaken immune system because of illnesses like infections, malnutrition, and malaria they are more susceptible to KS. It usually happens to people under the age of forty and there isn’t one group of people it effects more, men, women, and children can get it. Latrogenic KS can form after a patient has had an organ transplant. Because they have a weaken immune system and are taking drugs to help with rejection they can develop this while recovering.