OBJECTIVES:~Primary~Determine the antitumor activity of valganciclovir in patients with classic non-HIV-associated Kaposi's sarcoma (KS).~Secondary~Determine the effect of this drug on lytic and latent human herpesvirus-8 gene expression in KS lesions of these patients.~Determine the effect of this drug on the markers of angiogenesis in KS lesions of these patients.~Determine the safety and tolerability of this drug in these patients.~OUTLINE: This is a pilot study.~Patients receive oral valganciclovir twice daily for 3 weeks and then once daily for 21 weeks in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.~All patients are followed for 1 month after completion of therapy. Patients with responding disease are followed monthly for up to 1 year.~PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 15 patients will be accrued for this study within 1 year.
RATIONALE: Herpesvirus is found in the lesions of most patients with Kaposi's sarcoma, and may have a role in causing Kaposi's sarcoma. Valganciclovir is an antiviral drug that acts against many types of herpesviruses and may be an effective treatment for Kaposi's sarcoma.~PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying how well valganciclovir works in treating patients with classic non-HIV-associated Kaposi's sarcoma.