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Kaposi's sarcoma is an angioproliferative neoplasm associated with the human herpesvirus 8. According to the clinical characteristics and the degree of immunosuppression, there are four epidemiological forms: classic, endemic, iatrogenic, and epidemic. The latter is associated with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and 40% GI involvement. There is little epidemiological, clinical, and endoscopic evidence of the disease. This study sought to characterize this condition in a Colombian population and compare the findings with publications from other countries. One hundred thirty-five records of patients who consulted between 2011 and 2020 for Kaposi's sarcoma were reviewed, of which 24 had GI involvement. Epidemiological, clinical, endoscopic, and treatment characteristics were obtained. Twenty-two patients were men. There were 21 patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV; 87.5%) and 19 receiving antiretroviral therapy (90%); 33.3% had HIV viral load > 100,000 copies/mL. The CD4+ count was <50 cells/µL in 28.6% of cases, between 50 and 100 cells/µL in 19.0%, and between 100 and 200 cells/µL in 14.4%. The rate of infection by other opportunistic infections was 41.7%. There were GI symptoms in 33% of the patients, and the most frequent were hematochezia, abdominal pain, nausea, and diarrhea. Most had concomitant skin lesions (70.8%). GI lesions were located mainly in the oropharynx (41.7%), stomach (20.8%), and colon (16.7%). The most common endoscopic finding was maculopapular erythema. This article provided insight into the local epidemiology of gastrointestinal Kaposi's sarcoma. In contrast to studies in other populations, GI symptoms were more frequent in this one, and there was a difference in endoscopic findings. Studies with larger populations are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

La endosonografía es un método diagnóstico que viene revolucionando el abordaje de los pacientes con tumores del tracto gastrointestinal y de otros órganos y estructuras extradigestivas. En la actualidad, se viene posicionando como un método de elección en la evaluación de lesiones subepiteliales gastrointestinales, además en la estadificación de muchos tumores gastrointestinales como esófago, estomago, recto, páncreas. Por lo cual pretendemos hacer una revisión de tema mostrando la evidencia de la endosonografía en indicaciones clásicas y aplicaciones actuales en tumores gastrointestinales.

Endosonography is a diagnostic method that has revolutionized the way to approach patients with tumors in the gastrointestinal tract and other extra-digestive organs and structures. Currently, it is a method of choice to assess subepithelial lesions of the gastrointestinal tract and to classify gastrointestinal tumors in the esophagus, stomach, rectum, and pancreas. Therefore, this literature review presents evidence on the classical indications of endosonography, as well as current applications to approach gastrointestinal tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]