Kaposi's sarcoma

Patent Pending Kaposi's sarcoma (/kəˈpoʊsiːz sɑrˈkoʊmə/; KS) is a tumor caused by infection with human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8), also known as Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) or KS agent. It was originally described by Moritz Kaposi, a Hungarian dermatologist practicing at the University of Vienna in 1872.[1] It became more widely known as one of the AIDS-defining illnesses in the 1980s. The viral cause for this cancer was discovered in 1994.[2] Although KS is now well-established to be caused by a viral infection, there is widespread lack of awareness of this even among persons at risk for KSHV/HHV-8 infection.