Early Lesions of Kaposi's Sarcoma in Homosexual Men an Ultrastructural Comparison with Other Vascular Proliferations in Skin
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Early Lesions of Kaposi's Sarcoma in Homosexual Men An Ultrastructural Comparison With Other Vascular Proliferations in Skin N. SCOTT McNUTT, MD, VAN FLETCHER, MD and From the Departments of Pathology and Dermatology and the Kaposi MARCUS A. CONANT, MD Sarcoma Study Group, Veterans Administration Medical Center, and the University of California, San Francisco, California An aggressive variant of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) has ap- thelial lining, and had only a few small junctional peared in young homosexual men with evidence of sys- densities between endothelial cells. Some clinically temic immunosuppression. The ultrastructure in biop- aggressive cases of KS also had necrosis of individual sy specimens from 8 KS cases in young homosexual endothelial cells and had prominent cytoplasmic pro- men has been compared with that in biopsy specimens cesses entrapping individual collagen fibers. The be- from 4 KS cases in elderly heterosexuals and with that nign disorders lacked these features. These differences in biopsy specimens from 23 cases of benign vascular in the structure of the small vessels may be of diagnos- disorders of skin. In all cases of KS the small blood ves- tic value in some early cases ofKS. The loss ofdendritic sels lacked a prominent investment of pericytes and pericytes in blood capillaries in KS might relate to the their processes, had a fragmented and often absent telangiectasia which is a prominent feature of the early basal lamina, had frequent discontinuities in the endo- lesions of KS. (Am J Pathol 1983, 111:62-77) A DRAMATIC CHANGE in the epidemiology and patients the disease progresses rapidly, and they die clinical course of the vascular neoplasm called of KS within 1 year, despite standard combination Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) has occurred in the United drug chemotherapy regimens.4 States since 1981. Previous to that time KS affected Although this variant KS has definitely increased in predominantly older men (over age 50) of Jewish, incidence in these locations of the United States, Italian, Mediterranean, or black ancestry,1`3 particu- earlier studies showed that an aggressive form of KS larly when it arose in otherwise apparently healthy in- affects African children.5'6 Also, 20% of the cases re- dividuals. Also KS usually appeared in the skin of the ported by Cox and Helwig2 occurred in patients aged lower extremities, often bilaterally, and gradually 9 to 49 years, and 7 of the 11 deaths from KS in that spread centripetally, to involve lymph nodes, lung, series occurred in patients less than 45 years old at the liver, intestine, or other viscera. Since 1979 a more onset of their disease. Twenty-two percent of the aggressive variant of KS has been found in young cases reviewed by McCarthy and Pack1 also occurred homosexual men (under age 58) predominantly in in patients under age 40. New York and California, which together account The chief candidate as an explanation for the very for 77%o of the currently reported cases (Centers for aggressive behavior of KS is the finding of profound Disease Control, personal communication). In addi- tion to departing from the usual ethnic predisposi- tion, this variant KS also tends to begin in a more Supported in part by American Cancer Society Grant scattered distribution on the body surface. It may RD151 and by Veterans Administration research funds. begin in unusual sites, such as the skin of the Accepted for publication November 8, 1982. Address reprint requests to Dr. N. Scott McNutt, Chief, shoulder or trunk, and tends to spread rapidly, to in- Dermatopathology Section, Department of Pathology, The volve many other skin sites, oral mucosa, lymph New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, 525 East 68th nodes, and viscera. In many (15-40%o) of these young Street, New York, NY 10021. 0002-9440/83/0407-0062 62 Vol. 111 * No. 1 ULTRASTRUCTURE OF KAPOSI'S SARCOMA 63 immunosuppression in this young homosexual popu- easily distinguished from one another, particularly in lation, as indicated by associated opportunistic infec- large punch or scalpel biopsies. tions with Pneumocystis carinii and cytomegalovirus4 The present study has two objectives: 1) To deter- as well as by markedly depressed ratios of helper to mine whether or not there are ultrastructural features suppressor T lymphocytes7-9 in peripheral blood. KS that correlate with the aggressive behavior of KS in has been noted previously to be one of the earliest young homosexual men and 2) To define those ultra- tumors that can appear after immunosuppression structural features that can be used to distinguish therapy in transplant recipients.0," Exactly how this early patch stage or angiomatous lesions of KS from immunosuppression might act to favor a more ag- a variety of benign vascular growths. gressive form of KS is not known at present. Preliminary reports by others have not indicated The histologic criteria for making a diagnosis of that there are any obvious differences at the histo- KS have been expounded clearly.'2"3 The lesions of logic level between KS in homosexual men and the KS usually begin as flat erythematous (red-purple to more usual forms of KS.14 In this study we carry this red-brown) macular lesions which have been called comparison to the ultrastructural level and observe patch stage lesions.13 These early patch lesions have differences with regard to the presence of necrotic en- been described histologically as having an angio- dothelial cells and cellular projections into the col- matous phase'12"3 in which there is a proliferation of lagen bundles in some but not all cases. thin-walled irregular vascular channels mainly in the reticular dermis. As the clinical lesions become Materials and Methods thickened to form plaques and eventually tumor nod- ules, histologic sections show that the lesions tend Ten biopsy specimens from 8 cases of Kaposi's sar- to contain nodules of spindle-shaped cells, which coma (KS) arising in young homosexual men (Table entrap many erythrocytes. Because of the spindle 1) were taken with the use of standard biopsy shape of the cells, some authors have called this the punches or scalpels for elliptical excisions. Biopsies fibroblastic phase of KS.'2 In the late stages, biopsies were performed in all cases before any treatment was of KS usually present no diagnostic problems, but initiated except in Case 4, where several injections of there can be occasional cases in which it is difficult to intravenous vincristine had been given 9 weeks before distinguish in a small punch biopsy between the early biopsy. Anesthesia was provided by intracutaneous patch stage of KS and a variety of benign lesions such injection of lidocaine, usually with added epine- as dermatofibromas ("fibrous histiocytoma"), non- phrine to help control hemostatis. The biopsy speci- palisading forms of granuloma annulare, insect bite mens were carefully divided for light microscopy and reactions, pyogenic granuloma, or even stasis derma- electron microscopy or histochemistry. Tissues for titis. Well-developed lesions of these types usually are standard light microscopy were fixed in phosphate- Table 1 - Kaposi's Sarcoma: Clinical Data Duration Follow-up at biopsy Initial Lesion interval Case Age Race Sex HP (years) stage thickness (years) Therapy Progression 46 w M + 0.1 sv Tu 2.2 C RP; D (KS) 2 40 w M + 1.0 SLV PI,Tu 0.5 C RP; D (KS) 3 38 w M + 1.0 SL Pi 0.6 C R 4 40 w M + 0.3 S Pi 0.5 C St (KS); D (P) 5 29 w M + 0.2 SL Ma 0.5 vi St 6 35 w M + 0.2 S Pi 0.4 vi St 7 34 w M + 0.1 S Pi 0.2 R 8 34 w M + 0.2 S Ma 0.2 C RP 9 87 w M - U S PI,Tu 0.2 N St 10 62 B M - 4.0 S Ma 0.3 N St 11 72 B F - 1.5 S Pi 0.3 N SP 12 64 W M - 14.0 S Pi 0.1 N RP* Abbreviations used: B, black; C, combination drug chemotherapy; D, died of (cause); F, female; HP, homosexual preference; I, interferon (Dr. Bijan Safai, Memorial Hospital, New York, NY); KS, Kaposi's sarcoma; L, lymph node involvement; M, male; Ma, macular lesions "patch" stage; N, none; P, Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia; Pi, plaque lesions; R, remission; RP, rapidly progressive; S, skin involvement; St, stable; SP, slow- ly progressive; Tu, tumor lesions; U, unknown; V, visceral involvement; Vi, vincristine (Velban); W, white. * This patient had experienced recent rapid progression of lesions at the time of biopsy, although more indolent disease had been present for a long time. 64 McNUTT ET AL AJP * April 1983 Table 2-Benign Disorders: Clinical Data Lesion Follow-up duration interval Pro- Case Age Race Sex Diagnosis (years) (years) Therapy gression 13 63 w M Dermatofibroma U 4.3 S No 14 51 w M Dermatofi broma 2.0 4.3 S No 15 58 w M Dermatofi broma 2.5 3.8 S No 16 79 0 M Dermatofi broma U 2.7 S No 17 59 w M Dermatofibroma 30.0 0.8 S No 18 54 w M Dermatofi broma 0.3 1.3 S No 19 U w M Fibrous histiocytoma, atypical 4.0 0.0 S U 20 74 B M Dermatofi broma U 0.8 S No 21 58 w M Dermatofi broma U 1.8 S No 22 37 B M Fibrous histiocytoma 20.0 1.8 S No 23 64 w M Dermatofibroma U 0.1 S No 24 62 w M Dermatofi broma 1.0 0.0 S U 25 62 w M Pyogenic granuloma 0.3 1.6 S No 26 61 B M Pyogenic granuloma 0.2 2.0 S No 27 71 w M Pyogenic granuloma 0.3 0.0 S U 28 27 w F Pyogenic granuloma 0.2 0.1 S R (1) 29 53 w M Capillary hemangioma 2.0 0.0 S U 30 74 w M Hemangioendothelioma, benign U 3.0 S No 31 70 w M Stasis dermatitis U 2.0 Bx p 32 55 w M Stasis dermatitis (hypertrophic) U 1.0 Bx p 33 55 w M Stasis dermatitis U 1.0 Bx p 34 42 B M Angiokeratoma U 0.3 S U 35 65 w M Telangiectasia, post BCNU 0.1 1.0 Bx St Abbreviations used: B, black; Bx, biopsy; BCNU, 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl) 1-nitrosourea; F, female; M, male; No, no recurrence or progression; 0, oriental; P, persistant; R, recurrent for (number of times); S, surgical excision; St, stable; U, unknown; W, white.