Kaposi's sarcoma after lung transplantation in a Sephardic Jewish woman

One of the four types of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), KS after organ transplantation under immunosuppression, is a well-known entity and has been abundantly described in renal, heart and liver recipients. We report the second case of cutaneous KS after lung transplantation, under regular immunosuppression, in a Sephardic Jewish woman. This case, when added to the other 10 cases of posttransplantation KS reported from Israel, all being Sephardic Jews, indicates that in Israel, Sephardic Jews are at higher risk than Ashkenazi Jews to develop posttransplantation KS. This observation should be added to the well-known increased risk of Ashkenazi Jews to develop classic KS. Moreover, in Israel Ashkenazi Jews develop classic KS at higher rates than Sephardic Jews. This apparent discrepancy in the ethnic distribution between Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews in classic versus posttransplantation KS may shed light on the pathogenesis of KS in general. Copyright ® 2000 S. Karger AG, Basel.