Treatment for Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus: great challenges with promising accomplishments.

Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is associated with three distinct malignancies: Kaposi sarcoma (KS), primary effusion lymphoma, and multicentric Castleman disease. Treatment modalities for KSHV have largely been developed based on understanding its molecular pathogenesis. The KSHV genome has been fully sequenced and contains numerous genes with homology to human regulatory genes that are potentially important in KS development. Therapeutic strategies have been developed to target signaling pathways that are activated by KSHV. This review describes multiple classes of pharmacological compounds that have been studied in patients with KS, including antivirals, chemotherapeutics, and novel agents related to KSHV pathogenesis.