Electrochemotherapy in Kaposi sarcoma: A systematic review

Mol Clin Oncol. 2021 Apr;14(4):64. doi: 10.3892/mco.2021.2226. Epub 2021 Feb 8.

Abstract

Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is a rare angioproliferative disorder, which is usually associated with human herpesvirus-8 infection. Electrochemotherapy (ECT) may be an option in the treatment of KS skin lesions due to the high response rate noted in neoplastic lesions of different histological types. The aim of the present systematic review was to analyse the available evidence on using ECT in the treatment of KS skin lesions. Tumor response, local control and toxicity were analyzed. In the three included studies, the complete response rate was 65-100% and the overall response rate in all studies was 100%. The treatment was well tolerated with mild and transient toxicity. However, further studies are required to fully analyze long-term disease control and to compare ECT with other local therapies used for KS.

Keywords: Kaposi sarcoma; electrochemotherapy; human herpesvirus-8; skin lesions; systematic review.

Grants and funding

Funding: No funding was received.