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Ask the Experts about AIDS-Related Cancers

 

KS only AIDS related?
Sep 2, 2002

My guard has recently been for tests and has come back with positive KS. Is this directly linked to AIDS (HIV)? Can you have KS without HIV/AIDS? Urgent reply requested please. Thankyou

Response from Dr. Dezube

Kaposi's sarcoma is caused by a virus called human herpes virus-8 (HHV8), also known as Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus. Patients can get KS even if they do not have HIV infection. Typically KS in patients without HIV infections (what we call classic KS) occurs in elderly individuals and is less aggressive than the KS in HIV-infected individuals. The treatments of classic KS and AIDS-related KS are quite similar. Patients who develop KS and who have any risk factor for HIV-infection should be tested for the HIV virus.



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