The Role of Carbon Dioxide Laser Therapy in Penile Kaposi’s Sarcoma: A Case Series of Three HIV-Negative HHV-8-Positive Patients

Tullio Torelli, Biagio Paolini, Mario Achille Catanzaro, Nicola Nicolai, Maurizio Colecchia, Davide Biasoni, Alberto Macchi, Silvia Stagni, Antonio Tesone, Roberto Salvioni

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7175/cmi.v13i1.1403

Abstract

Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) is a rare tumor of vascular origin. It is quite common in HIV patients. It is rarely located on the glans penis, especially in HIV-negative patients (just some tens in the literature). Owing to the rarity of the disease, both the real impact on survival and the most suitable therapy are not known.

However, in this 3-patient case series, carbon dioxide laser therapy was effective both for local control and survival. In fact, two late relapses but no disease-related death were recorded. Probably, KS in HIV-negative patients is a slowly progressive disease, not so aggressive as in HIV-positive patients. Laser therapy is easy, fast, and cheap, and may treat the disease radically.

If these data are confirmed by further studies, in the foreseeable future, laser therapy may become the gold standard for treating HIV-negative patients affected by penile KS.

Keywords

Penile Neoplasms; Laser Therapy; Sarcoma, Kaposi; Herpesvirus 8, Human; Infection

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