D EVELOPMENT OF K APOSI ' S S ARCOMA IN A S URGICAL W OUND

APOSI'S sarcoma is the most common neo- plasm in patients with the acquired immuno- deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and is diagnos- tic of the progression of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection to AIDS. 1 The lesion usually appears first on the skin but may also involve visceral organs. Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, also called human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8), is linked to the development of Kaposi's sarcoma. 2 The patho- genesis of Kaposi's sarcoma in patients with AIDS is unclear, but certain cytokines and growth factors play a part. 3 In this report, I describe the development of Ka- posi's sarcoma of the labial oral mucosa after minor oral surgery in an HIV-infected patient. The tumor was localized to a site of previous iatrogenic trauma, a finding suggestive of Koebner's phenomenon. 4