Laser Therapy for Cutaneous Kaposi Sarcoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Simple Summary
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Protocol and Reporting
2.2. Search Strategy
2.3. Eligibility Criteria
2.4. Outcomes
2.5. Study Selection and Data Extraction
2.6. Data Analysis and Synthesis
3. Results
3.1. Study Selection
3.2. Study Characteristics
3.3. Risk of Bias
3.4. Laser Modality and Treatment Parameters
3.5. Treatment Outcomes
3.6. Meta-Analysis
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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| Author, Publication Year | Country | Study Design | Age at Treatment, Years, Median (Range) | Male, n (%) | HIV Positive, n (%) | KS Subtype, (n, %) | Sample Size, n (Lesion n) | Lesion Type | Lesion Sizes at Treatment, Diameter Range/Area Range | Risk of Bias *** |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abels, 1998 [14] | Germany | Observational | 33 (31–67) | 3 (100) | 3 (100) | HIV-associated (3, 100) | 3 (57) | Macules, plaques, nodules | 0.4–2 cm | Moderate |
| Bostanci, 2024 [19] | Turkey | Observational | 76 (57–78) | 2 (66.7) | 0 (0) | Classic (3, 100) | 3 (42) | Nodules | 0.3–12 cm | Moderate |
| Junejo, 2024 [18] | USA | Observational | 42 (35–91) | 5 (83.3) | 3 (50) | Classic (3, 50), HIV-associated (2, 33.3), Iatrogenic (1, 16.7) | 5 * (43) | Papules, plaques | NA | Moderate |
| Nasca, 2020 [20] | Italy | Observational | 83 (64–86) | 7 (77.8) | NA | Classic (9, 100) | 9 (81) | Nodules | 0.5–3 cm | Moderate |
| Özdemir, 2017 [7] | Turkey | Observational | 65 (45–83) | 4 (57.1) | 0 (0) | Classic (7, 100) | 7 (49) | Papulonodular | 1–15 cm | Moderate |
| Silvestri, 2022 [21] | Italy | Observational | 57.5 (34–76) | 28 (93.3) | 15 (50) | Classic (15, 50), HIV-associated (15, 50) | 30 (30) | Macules, papules, plaques, nodules | 0.5–11.1 cm | Low |
| Szeimies, 2001 [22] | Germany | Observational | 52.5 (33–65) | 6 (100) | 6 (100) | HIV-associated (6, 100) | 6 (30) | Macules, plaques, nodules | 0.16–6 cm2 | Moderate |
| Tappero, 1992 [10] | USA | RCT | 36 (26–45) | 15 (100) | 15 (100) | HIV-associated (15, 100) | 13 ** (39) | Papules | 21–247 cm2 | Some concerns (moderate) |
| Author, Publication Year | Laser Type | Wavelength, nm | Laser Size Range, cm | Fluence Range, J/cm2 | Pulse Protocol | Number of Treatment Sessions | Treatment Sessions Intervals, Weeks | CR Rate (%) | PR Rate (%) | Recurrence Rate (%) | Follow-Up Duration, Months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abels, 1998 [14] | ICG | 805 | 2 | 100 | 0.5–6 W/cm2 pulse power | 1 | NA | 18/57 (31.6) | 39/57 (68.4) | 0/57 (0) | 0/57 6–15 |
| Bostanci, 2024 [19] | Nd:YAG | 1064 | 0.3–0.7 | 200–250 | 10–20 ms pulse duration | 1–2 | 4 | NA, clinical and dermoscopic improvements of all lesions | NA | 0/3 (0) | 12 |
| Junejo, 2024 [18] | PDL (N = 3), Nd:YAG (N = 1), PDL + Nd:YAG (N = 1) | 1064 (Nd:YAG), 595 (PDL) | 0.5 (Nd:YAG), 0.7–1 (PDL) | 90–140 (Nd:YAG), 7–9.5 (PDL) | 20–25 ms pulse duration (Nd:YAG), 1.5–40 pulse duration (PDL) | 2–12 | 6 | * PDL: 0/37 (0), Nd:YAG: 0/3 (0), PDL + Nd:YAG: 100 (3/3) | * PDL: 20/37 (54.1), Nd:YAG: 3/3 (100), PDL + Nd:YAG: 0 (0/3) | 0/43 (0) | 7–61 |
| Nasca, 2020 [20] | Nd:YAG | 1064 | 0.5–0.7 | 14–200 | 5 ms pulse duration, triple pulse, 10 ms delay | 1–2 | 4 | 81/81 (100) | 0/81 (0) | 0/81 (0) | 12 |
| Özdemir, 2017 [7] | Nd:YAG | 1064 | 0.4–0.6 | 180–260 | 1.5 ms pulse duration, 5 ms delay | 1–4 | 4 | NA, clinical and dermoscopic improvement of all lesions | NA | 0/49 (0) | 6 |
| Silvestri, 2022 [21] | Nd:YAG | 1064 | 0.25–0.5 | 120–140 | 3 ms pulse duration, double pulse, 20 ms delay | 4 | 4 | 8/30 (26,7) | 16/30 (53.3) | 0/24 (0) | 2.8 |
| Szeimies, 2001 [22] | ICG | 805 | 2 | 100 | 3 W/cm2 pulse power, 33 s per lesion | 1 | NA | 28/30 (93.3) | NA | 0/28 (0) | 24 |
| Tappero, 1992 [10] | PDL | 585 | 0.5 | 8–9.25 | 0.45 ms pulse duration | 2–4 | 4–6 | 17/39 ** (44) | 17/17 (100) | 2.8 | |
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Mimouni, T.; Oren-Shabtai, M.; Barzilai, A.; Baum, S.; Noyman, Y.; Michael, S.; Kassem, R. Laser Therapy for Cutaneous Kaposi Sarcoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Cancers 2025, 17, 3708. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17223708
Mimouni T, Oren-Shabtai M, Barzilai A, Baum S, Noyman Y, Michael S, Kassem R. Laser Therapy for Cutaneous Kaposi Sarcoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Cancers. 2025; 17(22):3708. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17223708
Chicago/Turabian StyleMimouni, Tomer, Meital Oren-Shabtai, Aviv Barzilai, Sharon Baum, Yehonatan Noyman, Shohat Michael, and Riad Kassem. 2025. "Laser Therapy for Cutaneous Kaposi Sarcoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis" Cancers 17, no. 22: 3708. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17223708
APA StyleMimouni, T., Oren-Shabtai, M., Barzilai, A., Baum, S., Noyman, Y., Michael, S., & Kassem, R. (2025). Laser Therapy for Cutaneous Kaposi Sarcoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Cancers, 17(22), 3708. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17223708

