Classic Kaposi's sarcoma in Sardinia: HLA positive and negative associations

Background: The incidence of classic Kaposi's sarcoma (CKS) in northern Sardinia is one of the highest in the world. Methods: Sixty-two patients with CKS were typed for class I and class II antigens. All patients had been born and were living in northern Sardinia. Results: In the Sardinian patients, we observed a positive CKS association with Cw7, DRB1*1104, DRB1*1302, DQA1*0302, and DQB1*0604, and a negative CKS association with A30, B58, Cw5, DRB1*1601, and DQB1*0502. Conclusions: The strong positive CKS association with DRB1*1104 and DQB1*0604 and negative association with B58 are particularly significant and further support the notion of a genetic predisposition to CKS.