KAPOSI’S SARCOMA —
A Gay Cancer?
by Dan Leonard
This summer, reports of two rare diseases
that reportedly affect male homosexuals were
widely reported in the newspapers. The
National Center for Disease Control formed a
special task force to investigate both Kaposi’s
Sarcoma and Pneumoncystis carinnii, a
parasitic, pneumonia-like disease.
No one has yet dicovered why gay men are
the victims of these diseases. Dr. Harold Jaffe,
a member of the task force, said they plan to
investigate links to previous diseases,
immunization system disorders, sexual
lifestyle, drug use, and other possible causes.
Both diseases have previously been
associated with people with severe immune
deficiencies caused by such factors as viral
attacks and anti-cancer treatment. These
seem to hold the most promise for
researchers, Jaffe said.
One of the main areas of investigation
involves a second type of infection common
among gays. This virus, called CMV, causes
mononucleosis-like symptoms and weakens
the body’s natural defenses against infection.
This virus, which is sexually transmitted,
has been associated with, but has not been
shown to cause the cancer.
Medical research into the problem is
continuing. In New York City, fifteen
members of Black and White Men Together
participated in the first phase of a cancer
research project, being conducted by the
National Cancer Institute, into the cause of
Kaposi’s Sarcoma.
To add to the controversy, Dr. Dennis
McShane, chairman of the newly formed
American Association of Physicians for
Human Rights, says there’s no evidence of
gay-related pneumonia or cancer. According
to a report in Gay News, Dr. McShane says
that members of the group have met with
officials of the Center for Disease Control in
Atlanta about the diseases. He notes the
relationship between gay men and the
diseases is only anecdotal; there’s no real
pathological evidence as of now, he maintains.
Quite naturally, there has been increasing
concern among gay men in the past few
months about Kaposi’s sarcoma. Highly
informative technical articles have appeared
in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report,
July 3 and August 28; and Oncology Times,
August 1981. This article will give some
information about the symptoms and nature
of this disease.
Heretofore, for Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) has
been known as an extremely rare (2-6 cases
per ten million people) mild cancer of the
lining of the blood vessels in the skin of the
lower leg and other sites away from the center
of the body—penis, ears, lower arm, eyelid.
There are also at first unnoticed internal
changes.
It usually occurs in older men (23-90, with
an average age of 63) and in some cases
progresses to be fatal in 8-13 years. In these
men early treatment of the first skin changes
by x-rays is often curative.
However in the past two years, 44 cases
have been described in much younger men
(26-51 years old, with an average age of 39) in
New York City and California who were also
gay or bi sexual. Eight of these have died, with
some deaths occurring within 24 months of
diagnosis.
(NOTE: Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP)
has been observed as a companion or
separate disease in many more gay men who
apparently have a decreased resistance to
bacterial and viral infections. When we
combine the deaths from KS and/or PCP, the
mortality rate is 40%.)
Some of these gay men had a history of
hepatitis and or amebiasis.
Blood tests in twelve of the men showed
some current or past exposure to
cytomegalovirus (CMV), a virus that is related
to some cancers. According to one study in
San Francisco, 95% of gay men tested show
evidence of CMV. This rate is twice as high as
the rate for the whole population.
Dr. Robert Tomsick, a dermatologist at
North Carolina Memorial Hospital
emphasizes that this is an extremely rare
disease and that gay men should be more
continued on page 9
RECOGNITION OF KAPOSI’S SARCOMA
Characteristic
COLOR
LOCATION
DURATION
TEXTURE
PAIN
TREATMENT
Kaposi’s
purplish
(as small plum)
lower leg
Other sites away
from the center
of the body
persist and enlarge
raised and rough
none
radiation
NOT Kaposi’s
oruise
blue/black
anywhere
1-2 weeks
(depending on
severity)
flat
tender, sore
warm compresses
angiomata
red
anywhere
persist but do
not enlarge
almost flat,
slightly rounded
none
usually none needed
K.b. I omsick, Dermatologist, NCMH
D.L. Leonard, Gay Public Health Workers
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