Transplantation-associated malignancies - Restriction of human herpes virus 8 to Kaposi's sarcoma

Background. The human herpes virus 8 (HHVS) has been detected in all forms of Kaposi's sarcoma. HHVS was also reported to be present in epithelial skin tumors of patients after renal transplantation, raising the question of the clinical relevance of HHV8 in transplant-related tumors. Methods. Using a highly sensitive nested polymerase chain reaction assay, we analyzed for the presence of HHV8-DNA in the tumor tissue of renal transplant recipients with Kaposi's sarcoma (n=2) and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (n=6), and in 32 tumors from 10 patients with multiple epithelial skin tumors. Results. HHV8-DNA was detected in both cases of Kaposi's sarcoma but not in either the non-Hodgkin's lymphomas or the epithelial skin tumors. Conclusions. Our data confirm the association of HHV8 with Kaposi's sarcoma but not with other transplant-related tumors. Further studies are needed to analyze the risk for transmission of HHV8 by the donor and the possible exclusion of HHV8-positive patients as organ donors.