Isolated intestinal Kaposi’s sarcoma in a kidney transplant patient: Diagnostic difficulty

Abstract

A 33 year old man with unknown cause of end stage renal disease received a renal graft from a deceased donor. Triple immunosuppression with cyclosporine A (CyA), mycophenolate mofetil and prednisone was prescribed. Four months after transplantation the patient developed general weakness, fever, diarrhea and bleeding to the intestinal tract leading to severe anemia. Due to the fact that no bleeding site was found during gastroduodenoscopy and colonoscopy, open surgery was performed and revealed bleeding ulcerations in small intestine. Partial resection of small intestine and hemicolectomy was performed and histopathological examination revealed Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) infiltration in the ulceration. CyA was withdrawn and rapamycine started. After 4 years post surgery the patient has been doing well, without symptoms of KS.