In those with HIV/AIDS, highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) prevents and often treats KS. In certain cases the addition of chemotherapy may be required. With widespread disease, death may occur.The condition is relatively common in people with HIV/AIDS and following organ transplant. Over 35% of people with AIDS may be affected. KS was first described by Moritz Kaposi in 1872. It became more widely known as one of the AIDS-defining illnesses in the 1980s. KSHV was discovered as a causative agent in 1994. Signs and symptoms
KS lesions are nodules or blotches that may be red, purple, brown, or black, and are usually papular.They are typically found on the skin, but spread elsewhere is common, especially the mouth, gastrointestinal tract and respiratory tract. Growth can range from very slow to explosively fast, and is associated with significant mortality and morbidity.The lesions are painless, but become cosmetically disfiguring or interruptive to organs. Skin
Commonly affected areas include the lower limbs, back, face, mouth, and genitalia. The lesions are usually as described above, but may occasionally be plaque-like (often on the soles of the feet) or even involved in skin breakdown with resulting fungating lesions. Associated swelling may be from either local inflammation or lymphoedema (obstruction of local lymphatic vessels by the lesion). Skin lesions may be quite disfiguring for the patient, and a cause of much psychosocial pathology. Mouth
The mouth is involved in about 30% of cases, and is the initial site in 15% of AIDS-related KS.
Diagnosis
Although KS may be suspected from the appearance of lesions and the patients risk factors, a definite diagnosis can be made only by biopsy and microscopic examination. Detection of the KSHV protein LANA in tumor cells confirms the diagnosis.In differential diagnosis, arteriovenous malformations, pyogenic granuloma and other vascular proliferations can be microscopically confused with KS. Differential diagnosis of Kaposis sarcoma
Source:
Naevus
Histiocytoma
Cryptococcosis
Histoplasmosis
Leishmaniasis
Pneumocystis lesions
Dermatophytosis
Angioma
Bacillary angiomatosis
Pyogenic granuloma
Melanoma

Classification
HHV-8 is responsible for all varieties of KS. Since Moritz Kaposi first described the cancer, the disease has been reported in five separate clinical settings, with different presentations, epidemiology, and prognoses. : 599  All of the forms are infected with KSHV and are different manifestations of the same disease but have differences in clinical aggressiveness, prognosis, and treatment. Classic Kaposi sarcoma most commonly appears early on the toes and soles as reddish, violaceous, or bluish-black macules and patches that spread and coalesce to form nodules or plaques. : 599  A small percentage of these patients may have visceral lesions. In most cases the treatment involves surgical removal of the lesion. The condition tends to be indolent and chronic, affecting elderly men from the Mediterranean region, Arab countries, or of Eastern European descent. Israeli Jews have a higher rate of KSHV/HHV-8 infection than European peoples. Endemic KS, which has two types. Although this may be present worldwide, it has been originally described later in young African peoples, mainly those from sub-Saharan Africa.