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Parotid mass as an early sign of Kaposi’s sarcoma associated with human herpesvirus 8 infection

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 March 2006

Roberto Puxeddu
Affiliation:
Department of Surgical Sciences and Organ Transplantations, Section of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Cagliari, Italy.
Giuseppina Parodo
Affiliation:
Department of Cytomorphology, Section of Pathology, University of Cagliari, Italy.
Francesca Locci
Affiliation:
Department of Surgical Sciences and Organ Transplantations, Section of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Cagliari, Italy.
Ilaria Puxeddu
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Cagliari, Italy.
Paolo Emilio Manconi
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Cagliari, Italy.
Caterina Ferreli
Affiliation:
Department of Dermatology, University of Cagliari, Italy.

Abstract

Kaposi’s sarcoma of an intraparotid lymph node is extremely rare in non-immunocompromised human immuno-1 deficiency virus (HIV)-negative patients. We report a case of a left parotid mass as an early sign of Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) infection in a 57-year-old patient. After subtotal parotidectomy and histopathological diagnosis of lymph node localization of Kaposi’s sarcoma, an accurate dermatological investigation revealed a solitary small lesion in the left foot. Chemotherapy with five cycles of vincristine gave a temporary response of the cutaneous lesion. Seven months later, a few small, firm, purplish-red lesions appeared in different areas of the body, but no adjuvant treatment was accepted by the patient since the lesions occasionally disappeared or remained stable in size. At four years follow-up, there has been no recurrence in the parotid region, and the patient is alive with cutaneous disease but in good general health. The problems related to the diagnosis, the management strategy of such a rare condition and the prognosis are also discussed.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© Royal Society of Medicine Press Limited 2002

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