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Gastrointestinal Kaposi Sarcoma Involving Stomach and Colon: Diagnostic Pitfall for Pathologists with Expression of CD117

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Abstract

Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is a low-grade vascular tumor caused by human herpes virus type 8 (HHV8). Gastrointestinal involvement of KS is rare and most commonly clinically silent. Gastrointestinal KS may mimic gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) histologically as the tumor formed by morphologically spindle-shaped cells, which is mostly located in the mucosa and submucosa. In the present study, we describe a case of Kaposi sarcoma that was first diagnosed in the gastrointestinal tract of a 73-year-old female patient who presented to the clinic with nausea and diarrhea. Immunohistochemical staining showed cytoplasmic CD117 expression both in stomach and colon biopsies. Although involvement of KS is rarely seen in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), the differential diagnosis of low-grade spindle cell lesions without significant pleomorphism, KS should definitely be considered, and it should be known that CD117 positivity is also present in these neoplasms.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Inonu University, 44280, Malatya, Turkey

    Zehra Bozdag, Serhat Toprak & Nese Karadag

  2. Department of Surgery and Liver Transplant Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Inonu University, 44280, Malatya, Turkey

    Sami Akbulut

Authors
  1. Zehra Bozdag
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  2. Serhat Toprak
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  3. Nese Karadag
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  4. Sami Akbulut
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Contributions

BZ, TS, and KN conceived and designed research. AS and BZ contributed to data extraction. BZ, KN, and AS wrote the manuscript. All authors read and approved the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Sami Akbulut.

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Bozdag, Z., Toprak, S., Karadag, N. et al. Gastrointestinal Kaposi Sarcoma Involving Stomach and Colon: Diagnostic Pitfall for Pathologists with Expression of CD117. J Gastrointest Canc 54, 290–293 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12029-021-00785-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12029-021-00785-w

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