Electrochemotherapy in Kaposi's Sarcoma Patients: From the Gold Standard Strategy to Locally Advanced Cutaneous and Subcutaneous Lesions.

Simple Summary: Electrochemotherapy (ECT) should be considered a valid therapeutical strategy for the local control of widespread and advanced CKS cutaneous and subcutaneous lesions. The aim of our study is not only to validate and confirm that ECT represents the best therapeutical choice in terms of the risk–benefit ratio for the treatment of cutaneous and subcutaneous lesions in non-advanced forms of Kaposi's sarcoma, but also to demonstrate the valid use of ECT for the local control of locally advanced classic Kaposi's sarcoma (CKS). Among 19 patients treated, acceptable results have also been obtained in those patients with widespread CKS lesions due to the silent course of the KS classic variant and the excellent impact of the disease on quality of life. Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is one of the newest therapeutic strategies employed as a medical procedure for skin neoplasms' treatment, especially for classic Kaposi's sarcoma (CKS). The aim of this study was to demonstrate ECT clinical response and the local control of CKS disease. The primary endpoint was to value the worth and efficacy of this local therapy in CKS skin lesions' treatment. In total, 19 CKS patients were enrolled, 14 males and 5 females with median age at diagnosis of 72. Complete response (CR) has been gained in 12 patients after first ECT attempt; meanwhile, 3 and 4 out of 19 patients obtained a partial response (PR), so they underwent a second and third ECT treatment, respectively. Clinical response was evaluated during the entire timeframe of the follow-up, which ranged between 3 months and 4 years with a median of 18 months. The control of CKS skin lesions still represents a challenge for surgeons and oncologists. Nevertheless, according to this and other authors' recent experiences, ECT could be considered the gold standard strategy for early-stage patients, but at the same time it could be considered as a valid option in controlling Kaposi's sarcoma locally advanced lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]