Staging
Kaposi sarcoma has no formal staging system, so many doctors use the AIDS Clinical Trials Group system to describe the extent of the disease. This system considers three factors: the tumor (T), the immune system (I), and the whole body (S). The doctor will consider these factors and assign each factor a grade of 0 (good risk) or 1 (poor risk). The doctor will then consider all of these factors and put your Kaposi sarcoma in an overall risk group (either good risk (0) or poor risk (1)).
Tumor (T)
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T0 (good risk)
- Kaposi sarcoma is found only in the skin, lymph nodes, and/or roof of mouth.
T1 (poor risk)
- Kaposi sarcoma lesions are found in other parts of the body. They may be in organs other than lymph nodes, and in parts of the mouth other than the roof. Lesions may be accompanied by swelling or a break in the skin, and they may be raised rather than flat.
Immune System (I)
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Immune system status is determined by the number of a specific type of white blood cell, called helper T-cells, in your blood.
I0 (good risk)
- 150 or more helper T-cells per cubic millimeter.
I1 (poor risk)
- Less than 150 helper T-cells per cubic millimeter.
Whole Body (S)
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S0 (good risk)
- No systemic illness present, meaning it does not affect the whole body.
S1 (poor risk)
- The disease is systemic, meaning it affects the whole body. You may have frequent infections, fever, night sweats, weight loss, or diarrhea, or you may have another HIV-related illness.
After assigning a score or grade to each of these categories, your doctor will assign an overall risk group.
- Good Risk - (T0, S0); (T1, S0); or (T0, S1)
- Poor Risk - (T1, S1)
The immune system (I) status is not as important in establishing the overall risk group since highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has become available to treat HIV. This treatment can slow the progression of HIV to AIDS and reduce the risk of AIDS Associated Kaposi sarcoma in HIV patients.
