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Treatment of human herpesvirus 8 infections
Author(s) -
Straten Melody R. Vander,
Carrasco Daniel,
Tyring Stephen K.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
dermatologic therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.595
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1529-8019
pISSN - 1396-0296
DOI - 10.1046/j.1529-8019.2000.00029.x
Subject(s) - cidofovir , medicine , human herpesvirus , sarcoma , combination therapy , kaposi's sarcoma , immunology , etiology , radiation therapy , antiretroviral therapy , virology , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , virus , viral load , pathology
Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8) is the most recently described member of the herpesvirus family. Although a number of clinical conditions have been associated with HHV8, only Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is recognized as being of HHV8 etiology. Treatment of KS includes radiotherapy, cytotoxic therapies, cidofovir, and interferon‐α, as well as topical and systemic retinoids. In human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seropositive persons the most effective therapy for KS has been combination antiretroviral treatment. As a result of marked improvements in the immune status of these patients since 1996, many cases of KS in HIV seropositive persons have “spontaneously” resolved. Therefore, KS has once again become a rare tumor in persons who receive (and respond to) combination antiretroviral therapy. For other persons with KS, a number of experimental therapies are under study including inhibitors of angiogenesis, new classes of retinoids and liposomal anthracyclines.