Article Sidebar
Published:
Dec 5, 2016Article Details
Copyright remains in the Author’s name. The work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution - Noncommercial Works License. Authors are required to complete and sign an Author Agreement form that outlines Author and Publisher rights and terms of publication. The Agreement form should be uploaded along with other submissions files and any submission will be considered incomplete without it [forthcoming].
Material submitted for publication in the SAMJ is accepted provided it has not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere. Please inform the editorial team if the main findings of your paper have been presented at a conference and published in abstract form, to avoid copyright infringement. The SAMJ does not hold itself responsible for statements made by the authors.
Previously published images
If an image/figure has been previously published, permission to reproduce or alter it must be obtained by the authors from the original publisher and the figure legend must give full credit to the original source. This credit should be accompanied by a letter indicating that permission to reproduce the image has been granted to the author/s. This letter should be uploaded as a supplementary file during submission.
Main Article Content
Kaposi's sarcoma in renal transplant recipients: Experience at Johannesburg Hospital, 1966 - 1989
Abstract
Between August 1966 and December 1989, 989 renal transplant recipients were followed up at the Renal Transplant Unit of Johannesburg Hospital. Seventy-five (7%) patients developed a total of 95 malignancies of which 5 (6%) were Kaposi's sarcoma. All patients received immunosuppressive agents; steroids, azathioprine and/or cyclosporin A. Clinical presentations included both limited skin involvement (1 patient) and disseminated forms of the disease: necrotic oral lesions (1 patient); disseminated skin involvement and lung metastases (1 patient); and widespread skin lesions with lymphadenopathy (2 patients). Four patients responded with complete tumour regression at all sites upon withdrawal of the immunosuppressive drugs. One patient suffered disease progression, and immunosuppression was continued, albeit at reduced dosages. These cases illustrate a relatively rare complication of immunosuppressive therapy. However, complete withdrawal of iInmunosuppressive drugs may result in sustained complete regression, despite the presence of advanced KS.
