DETECTION OF KAPOSI SARCOMA-ASSOCIATED HERPESVIRUS-LIKE DNA-SEQUENCESIN ANGIOSARCOMA

The partial DNA sequence of a putative new herpesvirus has recently be en isolated from almost all cases of Kaposi's sarcoma (ECS), from a sm all subset of AIDS-related lymphomas, and from a high proportion of mu lticentric Castleman's disease, The presence of this KS-associated her pesvirus, which is also known as human herpes virus 8 (KSHV/HHV8), has not been reported in vascular tumors other than KS, We therefore exam ined a series of vascular neoplasms of both endothelial and pericyte d erivation using polymerase chain reaction to detect a 233-bp segment o f the viral DNA, KSHV/HHV8 sequences were found in 7 of 24 (29%) angio sarcomas and 1 of 20 (5%) hemangiomas but not in any hemangiopericytom as (0 of 6), The presence of the virus in angiosarcoma was confirmed b y direct sequencing of the polymerase chain reaction product and South ern blotting in one case each, Only one of the affected patients was k nown to be immunocompromised. By detecting its presence in a significa nt proportion of angiosarcomas, this study extends the number of tumor s associated with KSHV/HHV8, further tightens its association with mal ignancy, and suggests a tropism of the virus for endothelial cells, Th e presence of KSHV/HHV8 in angiosarcomas in addition to classical KS a lso indicates that immunosuppression is not a requisite for viral infe ction.