CUTANEOUS KAPOSIS-SARCOMA WITH PULMONARY- CARCINOMA LYMPHANGITIS IN ACARDIAC TRANSPLANT

The great strides in organ transplantation have been accompanied by so me specific pathologies, notably neoplasia, including Kaposi's sarcoma which occupies the third place infrequency after cutaneous tumours an d malignant lymphomas. We report a case of cutaneous Kaposi's sarcoma developing some six months after a cardiac transplant. The modulation of immuno-suppression and treatment with Alpha interferon allowed an i nitial stabilisation of the cutaneous lesions. However, there were sec ondary developments of the lesions and, 21 months after the initial pr esentation, the patient developed a diffuse infiltrating pneumonia lea ding to death. The autopsy revealed lymphangitis carcinomatosis of Kap osi's sarcoma type. This observation underlines the therapeutic diffic ulties seen in Kaposi's sarcoma after organ transplantation when there is no alternative to allow a significant reduction or cessation of im muno-suppression.