Abstract
Case Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) is a malignant vascular tumor that occurs commonly in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. KS associated with Cushing’s syndrome (CS) is unusual, especially in endogenous CS. Here, we report a case of KS associated with glucocorticoid-replacement therapy after surgical treatment for adrenal CS. A 70-year-old man presented with symptoms and signs of CS with a left adrenal mass. Adrenal CS was confirmed by biochemical studies. After left adrenalectomy, he took oral prednisolone (15 mg/day) to prevent adrenal insufficiency. Ten weeks later, numerous raised purple plaques on the lower extremities were newly detected. The biopsy findings were compatible with KS, but anti-HIV antibodies were negative. After withdrawal of glucocorticoid therapy, the skin lesions regressed completely. Conclusion In this case, KS developed after the use of exogenous corticosteroid but not during endogenous hypercortisolism. This finding suggests that endogenous and exogenous corticosteroid play different roles in the development of KS.
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Acknowledgments
The biospecimens and data used in this study were kindly provided by the Biobank of Jeju University Hospital, a member of the Korea Biobank Network.
Funding
This research was supported by the 2015 Scientific Promotion Program funded by Jeju National University.
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Yoo, S., Moon, S., Chin, SO. et al. A case of exogenous corticosteroid-induced Kaposi’s sarcoma that developed after a cure of endogenous hypercortisolism. Int J Clin Pharm 37, 988–991 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11096-015-0181-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11096-015-0181-5