ABSTRACT

Iatrogenic Kaposi's sarcoma is a subtype of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), which is a vascular malignant tumor and is seen in organ transplant recipients and in patients receiving immunosuppressive therapy due to other reasons.

Iatrogenic KS can develop after corticosteroid or immunosuppressive drug therapy due to systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, polymyositis, dermatomyositis, polymyalgia rheumatica and Behçet's disease, generally with ocular involvement.

Our case was a 44- year old male patient. Colchicine and prednisolone were administered for his mucocutaneous findings and polyarthritis. In the seventh month of the therapy, four symmetric, brown- red coloured, asymptomatic macules developed on the inner surface of his left foot. In histopathologic specimens; CD34 positive, atypical spindle cells with swollen nuclei formed bundles and vascular spaces filled with erythrocytes. The patient was diagnosed as KS histopathologically and clinically. HHV-8 DNA was positive with PCR. Regression was observed in the lesions after the cessation of corticosteroid treatment. This case is presented because he was the only case with iatrogenic Kaposi's sarcoma among our Behcet's disease patients receiving corticosteroids or immunosuppressive therapies.