Dear Joe (Dr. McGowan), thank you for your answer (dec 21st) concerning KS. This is my last message and I won't bother you anymore. My skin spots have mostly stopped growing but have not all dried up; some of them clearly indicate that there is still cancer activity going on; my specific question is: would it be worth it changing HIV medication to try and eradicate KS activity completely? Do you happen to know of any clinical cases that might help us make a decision? By the way, I found the NCI website very informative, thank you again. Have a great new year, Marcelo.

Dear Marcelo,

As long as your HIV is fully suppressed there is no evidence that a change in meds would add any benefit. Al the meds do is suppress the HIV and the immune system heals on its own. There have been some older reports that ganciclovir may have some benefit. This medicine has some activity against Human Herpes Virus 8, which is the cause of KS. It has some significant toxicity (suppression of teh bone marrow), so it should really only be tried if the benefits are worth it. Since things sound pretty stable for you it may not be advisable, discuss it with your doctors.

Best, Joe PS You are not bothering me at all!