Kaposi’s sarcoma is the most common type of cancer occurring in people with AIDS. It is considered an AIDS-affirming manifestation, which simply means that if an HIV infected person shows the symptoms of Kaposi’s sarcoma, the virus has progressed to AIDS. This is the most common type of Kaposi’s sarcoma in the country, called the epidemic Kaposi’s sarcoma.

Symptoms
Cancer is formed from the cells that line the lymph nodes and blood vessels in the body. It shows up as lesions or tumors on the skin that are dark purplish or red in color. These tumors may also be in mucosal spots like the nose, lining of the mouth, and inside the digestive tract. Cancer takes time to grow and manifest and reaches the life-threatening stage only if it affects the lungs. Kaposi’s sarcoma in the lungs can result in severe breathing problems and can endanger one’s life.

The person affected with Kaposi’s sarcoma undergoes severe stigma, especially if the lesions occur on the face. This can lead to social isolation. Apart from societal suffering, the patient has to deal with pain, especially if the lesions are ulcerated, and they can also cause breathing difficulties if they are present on the breathing tract. Talking and swallowing can be especially painful if there are bulky lesions in the mouth.

Treatment
Treatment is crafted to provide palliation of symptoms and improve the quality of life of the patient. HIV treatment is essential to treat Kaposi’s sarcoma in people with AIDS. It slows down the progression of the virus, beefs up immunity, and reduces the risk of morbidity. Here are the other treatment methods:

• Antiretroviral therapy
  Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is considered an important part of Kaposi’s sarcoma treatment. It has played a significant role in reducing deaths related to cancer in AIDS patients in the country. Prior to its availability, most patients with pulmonary Kaposi’s sarcoma died. Studies now show that a combined ART intervention can vastly reduce the risk of death due to Kaposi’s sarcoma. However, in some cases, even effective ART may prove to be inadequate to combat AIDS-related Kaposi’s sarcoma, leading to the requirement of more interventions.
• Local therapy
  This is mainly done to reduce the appearance of cancer. Topical retinoid can be administered, and drugs can be directly injected into the affected areas. Radiation therapy can also be given to destroy the cancerous cells, but these are not effective interventions for large areas covered with lesions and for the spread of the virus to internal organs. Local therapy is ideal for lesser number of lesions on the body.
• Chemotherapy
  This is required when the cancer is progressing quickly, and when there are a large number of lesions, both on the skin and internally in different organs and mucosal areas like inside the mouth, throat, lungs, and digestive tract.

Recent years have witnessed a decline in the development of Kaposi’s sarcoma in AIDS patients because of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) being administered, especially in our country.