DETECTION OF KAPOSIS SARCOMA-ASSOCIATED HERPESVIRUS-LIKE DNA-SEQUENCEIN VASCULAR-LESIONS A RELIABLE DIAGNOSTIC MARKER FOR KAPOSIS-SARCOMA

A new herpesvirus-like DNA sequence (KSHV) has been recently identifie d in Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) from patients with AIDS and non-AIDS patien ts. To verify the specificity of the association of this new viral DNA with KS, a total of 155 cases of benign and malignant vascular neopla sms sharing similar histogenesis of endothelial derivation were analyz ed for the presence of this KSHV sequence using the published 330-233 primers by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The results revealed that all 17 cases of KS, both AIDS and non-AIDS, were positive for this KSH V, whereas the remaining 138 cases of vascular lesions other than KS, including 15 cases of angiosarcoma, showed negative reaction, These re sults confirm and extend the previous observation that this KSHV seque nce is specifically associated with KS and is a reliable diagnostic ma rker to distinguish KS, particularly at its early stage, from other va scular lesions.