Classic Kaposi's sarcoma of the oral cavity occurring in an immunocompetent Polynesian man

Abstract

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is an uncommon angioproliferative tumour. In its classic form, it rarely affects the head and neck. The etiologic agent in KS is Human Herpesvirus type-8 (HHV-8) infection. Populations in which KS occurs in the setting of immunocompetence tend to have high rates of seropositivity for HHV-8, including Mediterranean and Jewish people. Descriptions of KS in immunocompetent Polynesian individuals are almost non-existent. A reason for this may be the relative inaccessibility, both geographically and culturally, of indigenous peoples living in the Oceanic area. High rates of HHV-8 seropositivity have recently been reported in indigenous Melanesian populations of Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea, a region neighbouring Polynesia. This paper is the first to describe classic KS isolated to the oral cavity in an immunocompetent patient of Polynesian ancestry and highlights the need for further research to clarify the risk of KS emerging in this region.