Kaposi's sarcoma of the trachea

The most common tracheal neoplasms are epidermoid carcinomas, papillomas and cylindromas. Kaposi's sarcoma, confined primarily to the trachea, is one of the rarest tumours. The clinical and histological picture of a case of Kaposi's sarcoma of the trachea in a young, pregnant woman, presenting with severe airway obstruction, is described here. The emergency tracheoscopy dislodged a mass from the trachea, which turned out to be a Kaposi's sarcoma on histology. Although Kaposi's sarcoma is one of the manifestations of AIDS, this patient had neither any underlying immunodeficiency nor any skin, visceral or lymphatic lesions.