Effectiveness and Safety of Treatment with Neodymium:YAG Laser 1064 nm in Patients with Classic and Epidemic Kaposi Sarcoma

Martina Silvestri; Alessandra Latini; Ilaria Lesnoni La Parola; Claudia Messina; Steven Paul Nisticò; Norma Cameli

doi:10.3390/bioengineering9030106

Effectiveness and Safety of Treatment with Neodymium:YAG Laser 1064 nm in Patients with Classic and Epidemic Kaposi Sarcoma

Bioengineering (Basel). 2022 Mar 5;9(3):106. doi: 10.3390/bioengineering9030106.

Authors

Martina Silvestri¹, Alessandra Latini², Ilaria Lesnoni La Parola², Claudia Messina², Steven Paul Nisticò¹, Norma Cameli²

Affiliations

¹ Unit of Dermatology, Department of Health Sciences, Magna Graecia University, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy.
² Department of Dermatology, San Gallicano Dermatological Institute-IRCCS, 00144 Rome, Italy.

Abstract

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a vascular neoplasm Herpes Virus 8 (HHV8), which can affect the skin, mucous membranes and viscera. There is currently no standard treatment for KS; this study evaluated the efficacy and safety of Neodymium:YAG (Nd:YAG) laser 1064 nm treatment in patients with classic and HIV-associated KS. 15 patients with classic KS (group A) and 15 with epidemic KS (group B), with exclusively cutaneous localization, were treated with Nd:YAG laser 1064 nm. Four treatment sessions were performed at 4 weeks intervals. 24/30 (80%) of treated patients underwent clinical improvement. Better results have been obtained in HIV-positive patients, especially in terms of reduced lesion size and the flattening of elevated lesions. The 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser is effective and safe in the treatment of classic and epidemic KS, especially in patients with symptomatic, slow-progressing local disease, where other treatment options may be inappropriate.

Keywords: HIV; YAG; classic Kaposi’s sarcoma; laser treatment.