Patients with advanced AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma (EKS) no longer require systemic therapy after introduction of effective antiretroviral therapy (Meeting abstract).

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Patients with advanced AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma (EKS) no longer require systemic therapy after introduction of effective antiretroviral therapy (Meeting abstract).

Proc Annu Meet Am Soc Clin Oncol; 16:A162 1997. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/97621035
Volm MD; Wernz J; Kaplan Cancer Center, New York University Medical Center, New York, NY

Abstract: Although patients with early EKS are managed with local therapy, those with advanced disease require systemic treatment with interferon or cytotoxic chemotherapy. Most patients respond to systemic therapy, however, in the past nearly all have required chronic long term therapy to control their disease. With the advent of potent combination antiretroviral drug regimens capable of producing sustained suppression of HIV, it appears that chronic therapy may no longer be needed for some patients. We report a cohort of 13 patients who previously required systemic therapy for EKS (interferon alone in 4 patients, a variety of cytotoxic drugs [most a liposomal anthracycline] in 9 patients; range of previous systemic therapies 1-4, median 1) and who are presently being maintained off of any systemic therapy directed against their EKS but are receiving combined drug antiretroviral therapy. Before effective antiretroviral therapy, the median baseline viral load was 42,755 copies/cc (HIV mRNA detected by quantitative PCR) and the range was 3,000-650,000. Median baseline CD4+ lymphocyte count was 193 cells/ml (range 8-341). Following the institution of effective antiretroviral therapy with a variety of regimens (incorporating a variety of drugs; all patients eventually received a protease inhibitor) viral load fell dramatically. In 10 patients no virus was detectable, in 1 patient viral load dropped from 144,000 to 1,597 and for 2 patients complete data are not available. None of the 13 patients has yet experienced EKS progression. The median time off of systemic EKS therapy is 10 weeks (range 0 to 41 weeks). We will continue to monitor these patients and report further information on our experience as it becomes available. (C) American Society of Clinical Oncology 1997

Keywords: *Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/DRUG THERAPY *Anti-HIV Agents/THERAPEUTIC USE *AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections/DRUG THERAPY *Sarcoma, Kaposi/DRUG THERAPY
971130
M97B1212

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