Kenza Khachani, Meryeme Marhraoui, Zoubida Mehsas, Karima Senouci, Laila Benzekri
Journal: Medpeer Publisher
ISSN: 3066-2737
Volume: 3
Issue: 9
Date of Publication: 2026/09/06
Classic Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is a rare, HHV-8-associated angioproliferative disorder that predominantly affects elderly men of Mediterranean descent. Despite its overall indolent course, its epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic profile in North Africa remains incompletely characterized. We conducted a retrospective descriptive study of all patients hospitalized for Kaposi sarcoma in the Dermatology Department of Ibn Sina University Hospital, Rabat, over a 20-year period (2002-2022). Of 85 patients identified, 78 (91.8%) had the classic form, 4 (4.7%) an iatrogenic form and 1 (1.2%) an HIV-related epidemic form. Among classic KS patients, male predominance was marked (sex ratio 5.5), mean age was 69 years, and the median diagnostic delay reached 18 months. Papulo-nodular lesions of the lower limbs were the most frequent presentation (71.8%), and extra-cutaneous involvement was documented in 17.9% of cases at diagnosis, most often gastrointestinal. Using the Krieger staging system, over half of the patients presented with locally aggressive or disseminated disease (stage II-IV). Systemic chemotherapy, chiefly intramuscular bleomycin, achieved stabilization or objective response in the majority of treated patients, and disease-specific mortality was low (3.8%). These findings confirm the generally indolent, treatment-responsive nature of classic Kaposi sarcoma in a Moroccan cohort, while underscoring the value of systematic staging and extended work-up to detect clinically silent visceral involvement.
Kaposi sarcoma, HHV-8, classic form, epidemiology, retrospective study, Krieger staging, bleomycin
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