Kaposi's sarcoma following malignant mesothelioma

We report the unusual occurrence of Kaposi's sarcoma following asbestos-rel ated malignant mesothelioma, in a human deficiency virus (HIV)-negative Ita lian man. Seropositivity to human herpes virus 8 (HHV8) was documented at t he time of mesothelioma diagnosis and preceded the onset of Kaposi' sarcoma with a time lapse of 13 months. HHV8 DNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction in lesional Kaposi's sarcoma but not within mesothelioma. By immun ostaining, mesothelioma cells expressed interleukin-6 and platelet-derived growth factor, which are important for survival of Kaposi's sarcoma cells. Besides the possibility of a casual association, we hypothesize that mesoth elioma-linked factors may have contributed to the development of Kaposi' sa rcoma in the presence of HHV8 infection.