April 7, 2009

HIV Treatment Alone Is Enough for Most Who Catch KS Early

The majority of people who catch AIDS-related cancer Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) in its earliest stage and quickly begin taking antiretroviral (ARV) therapy may not require treatment with chemotherapy, according to a study presented at the 15th Annual Conference of the British HIV Association in Liverpool and reported by aidsmap.

Rates of KS—a skin cancer that was once a common ailment among people with AIDS—have significantly dropped since the introduction of combination ARV treatment. Moreover, ARV therapy is the recommended first-line treatment for people with HIV diagnosed with KS. It is unclear, however, what proportion of people who initiate ARV treatment after being diagnosed with KS will require additional treatment with chemotherapy drugs.

To determine the success of ARV therapy on KS progression, researchers at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London examined the medical records of 254 HIV-positive patients who were diagnosed with KS over a 12-year period. Less than one fifth of the patients were taking ARV therapy at the time of their KS diagnosis, and only 7 percent had an undetectable viral load. Most of the patients, 69 percent, had their KS diagnosed at the earliest stage, called T0. In all of these patients with very early KS, treatment was initially restricted to ARV therapy alone.

It turned out that ARV therapy alone was sufficient to at least halt KS disease progression in the majority of the patients with early stage KS. Only 22 percent required additional treatment with chemotherapy, and only one patient died from KS. The overall survival rate among people taking only ARV therapy was 91 percent during an average follow-up period of four years.

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Stephen Ray, chicago, 2009-04-09 12:46:49
I was diagnosed with KS before HIV It started as a small red/purple spot on the inside of my right knee it looked like a skin pinch I went to a dermatolagist and she did a biopsy a week later she called me into her office and told me that it is type of hiv related cancer know as KS and that I should get tested for hiv and see a ongoligist. My test for hiv came back pos my immune system was weak My hiv Dr put me on interferon Didnt work but the hiv drugs built up my sytem and the ks went away