A first case report of HIV negative Kaposi's sarcoma treatment with liposomal doxorubicin hydrochloride in Japan

Abstract

The patient was a 70-years-old Peruvian woman whose HIV antibody was negative. She immigrated to Japan 15 years ago. The patient had prednisone therapy due to erythema nodosum and then she was referred to our department due to multiple purple spots and nodules developing from edema of both legs. Skin biopsy specimens were obtained from the nodules. The histopathologic findings included abnormally proliferated and dilated vessels, vascular slits, numerous red blood cells, and spindle-shaped cells in the dermis. PCR examination by using skin tissue was positive for the specific band of HHV-8. The patient received treatment with liposomal doxorubicin hydrochloride (Doxil) at a dose of 20 mg/m² intravenously every 3 weeks for six cycles. HIV negative Kaposi sarcoma is particularly rare in Japan, because of the very small population ratios of HHP8-positive in Japanese. Liposomal doxorubicin hydrochloride is usually used in disseminated HIV-related Kaposi's sarcoma, while there have still been no reports of cases of Doxil for HIV negative Kaposi's sarcoma in Japan. We first report the HIV negative Kaposi's sarcoma treatment with Doxil with good tolerance and remission of the lesion. [Skin Cancer (Japan) 2015 ; 30 : 10-15]