Diagnosis of cutaneous tumors in HIV infection

Kaposi sarcoma and HIV is a very well known association. But there are others cutaneous malignancies with an increased incidence in this population that can be a diagnostic challenge..

Without taking account melanoma, there are three diagnostic groups of cutaneous malignancies worth of remember:

1.Merkel cell carcinoma, usually present around the head and neck area (Figures A, B, C). 

2. appendageal carcinoma: are a group of neoplasms with diverse differentiation. challenge. Cutaneous appendageal carcinomas were categorized according to the 2005 World Health Organization (WHO) classification of skin carcinomas.This consensus classification takes into account the distinct clinical, histological, andmolecular genetic features and includes 3 main types of differentiation: apocrine-eccrine, follicular, and sebaceous. Sebaceous carcinoma are also a component of genetic syndrome such as Muir-Torre syndrome.(Figure D). 

3. squamous and basal cell carcinoma: the relative  incidence of these tumors is double in HIV patients (Figure E).