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Kaposi sarcoma (KS) continues to cause substantial morbidity and mortality in populations at risk in the southern United States. Utilizing biospecimens from the Houston site of the Young Men's Affiliate Project, 351 men who have sex with men had blood tested for KS-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) IgG. Seroprevalence, seroconversion between time points, and demographic and clinical correlates were measured. KSHV prevalence was 36.7% and incidence was 8.9 per 100 person-years. Furthermore, prevalence and incidence were higher among Black individuals, people living with HIV, and those with a history of syphilis. Further research on KSHV risk may improve health disparities in KS diagnosis and outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To describe cases of Kaposi's sarcoma‐associated herpesvirus (KSHV)‐associated multicentric Castleman's disease (MCD) and primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) in patients with HIV from a large, safety‐net hospital system in Dallas, Texas, USA. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of patients with HIV‐associated PEL and/or MCD. Results: Twelve patients with PEL and 10 patients with MCD were identified. All patients were male and 17 of 20 were men who have sex with men; 66.7% of PEL patients and 50% of MCD patients had concurrent KS at the time of diagnosis; 42% of patients with PEL and 20% of patients with MCD died during the follow‐up period. We noted improved survival in our cohort compared to previous studies, particularly in our PEL patients with a median survival of 11.4 months compared to 3–6‐month median survival historically. Median follow‐up time for MCD patients was 17.5 months. This improved survival is despite suboptimal antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence at diagnosis, with only 50% of patients on ART at the time of MCD/PEL diagnosis. Conclusion: These data highlight the importance of early recognition of PEL and MCD, and the larger‐scale efforts needed to better understand the pathogenetic drivers of clinical outcomes in patients affected by KSHV‐related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]