Research Article
Kaposi Sarcoma among HIV Infected Patients in Lagos
University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria:
A 14-Year Retrospective Clinicopathological Study
Olakanmi Akinde,
1
Omobolade Obadofin,
1
Titilope Adeyemo,
2
Oladipo Omoseebi,
1
Nzechukwu Ikeri,
1
Ikechukwu Okonkwo,
1
and Olatunji Afolayan
3
1
Department of Anatomic and Molecular Pathology, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, PMB 12003, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Nigeria
2
Department of Hematology, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, PMB 12003, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Nigeria
3
Department of Surgery, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, PMB 12003, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Nigeria
Correspondence should be addressed to Omobolade Obadofn; boladeoshaks@gmail.com
Received 20 December 2015; Revised 13 February 2016; Accepted 14 February 2016
Academic Editor: Arash Kimyai-Asadi
Copyright © 2016 Olakanmi Akinde et al. Tis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution
License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly
cited.
Background. Despite the increased incidence of Kaposi sarcoma (KS) resulting from the Human Immunodefciency Virus/Acquired
Immunodefciency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) pandemic, there is still signifcant underreporting of KS in this environment. Objectives.
Tis study was aimed at determining the incidence and clinicopathologic patterns of KS among HIV infected patients in
Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Nigeria, over a 14-year period: January 2000 to December 2013. Methodology. Te
materials for this study included patients’ hospital clinical fles, duplicate copies of histopathologic reports, and tissue blocks and
corresponding archival slides in the Anatomic and Molecular Pathology Department and the HIV/AIDS unit of the Department
of Haematology. Results. Within the study period, 182 cases of KS were diagnosed, accounting for 1.2% of all patients managed
for HIV/AIDS and 2.99% of solid malignant tumours. Te male-to-female ratio and modal age group were 1 : 1.3 and 5th decade,
respectively. Most cases (90%) had purely mucocutaneous involvement with the lower limb being the commonest site (65.8%). Te
majority of lesions were plaques (65.8%). Vascular formation was the predominant histologic type seen (43.5%). Conclusion. KS in
Lagos followed the same epidemiologic trend as other centers in Nigeria, with an increasing incidence in this era of HIV/AIDS.
1. Introduction
Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is a vascular lesion of low-grade
malignant potential that presents most frequently with skin
lesions. It is the most common AIDS associated malignancy,
and human herpes virus type 8 (HHV8) plays a signifcant
role in its aetiopathogenesis [1, 2].
A number of studies have reported both a change in the
pattern and a dramatic increase in the incidence of KS as
a consequence of the increased incidence of AIDS [3, 4].
Te pattern of the disease has shown variation with location
and time [5, 6]. For example, the pattern of KS among the
Caucasians difers signifcantly from that in tropical Africa
in terms of the frequency, risk, sex and age distribution, and
trend [7–15]. Even within the same country, the incidence
of KS is not uniform. A previous study on malignant skin
tumours carried out by Adeyi and Banjo in the center of
this study reported only 8 cases of Kaposi sarcoma over 6
years (1990–1995) [16]. In Ibadan, southwest Nigeria, Gana
and Ademola reported KS to constitute 8.3% (41 cases)
of malignant skin tumours over 20 years (1981–2000) [17].
Oluwasanmi and Osunkoya recorded fewer cases at the
same center in 1969 [18]. In a recent study of vasoformative
neoplasms by Abudu et al. in Sagamu, no case of KS was
seen over a 5-year period (2004–2008) [19]. In contrast to
these fndings in southwestern Nigeria, there is a relatively
higher incidence of the tumour in the southeastern part of the
country. Asuquo et al. reported KS to be the commonest skin
cancer in Calabar where 11 cases were seen in two years (2005
and 2006). Tis was at variance with earlier fndings reported
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Journal of Skin Cancer
Volume 2016, Article ID 9368023, 6 pages
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/9368023