ON THIS PAGE: You will find information about the estimated number of people who will be diagnosed with Kaposi sarcoma each year. You will also read general information on surviving the disease. Remember, survival rates depend on several factors, and no 2 people with cancer are the same. Use the menu to see other pages.
Every person is different, with different factors influencing their risk of being diagnosed with this cancer and the chance of recovery after a diagnosis. It is important to talk with your doctor about any questions you have around the general statistics provided below and what they may mean for you individually. The original sources for these statistics are provided at the bottom of this page.
How many people are diagnosed with Kaposi sarcoma?
Before the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) were widespread, Kaposi sarcoma was extremely rare in the United States, with about 2 people diagnosed for every 1 million people. By the early 1990s, that rate had increased to about 47 people per 1 million people due to HIV/AIDS. However, this number has significantly decreased in recent years to about 6 cases per 1 million people because of more effective treatments for HIV/AIDS. About 1 in 200 transplant recipients in the United States develops Kaposi sarcoma. Worldwide, an estimated 34,270 people were diagnosed with Kaposi sarcoma in 2020.
In 2020, an estimated 15,086 people died from Kaposi sarcoma globally.
What is the survival rate for Kaposi sarcoma?
There are different types of statistics that can help doctors evaluate a person’s chance of recovery from Kaposi sarcoma. These are called survival statistics. A specific type of survival statistic is called the relative survival rate. It is often used to predict how having cancer may affect life expectancy. Relative survival rate looks at how likely people with Kaposi sarcoma are to survive for a certain amount of time after their initial diagnosis or start of treatment compared to the expected survival of similar people without this cancer.
Example: Here is an example to help explain what a relative survival rate means. Please note this is only an example and not specific to this type of cancer. Let’s assume that the 5-year relative survival rate for a specific type of cancer is 90%. “Percent” means how many out of 100. Imagine there are 1,000 people without cancer, and based on their age and other characteristics, you expect 900 of the 1,000 to be alive in 5 years. Also imagine there are another 1,000 people similar in age and other characteristics as the first 1,000, but they all have the specific type of cancer that has a 5-year survival rate of 90%. This means it is expected that 810 of the people with the specific cancer (90% of 900) will be alive in 5 years.
It is important to remember that statistics on the survival rates for people with Kaposi sarcoma are only an estimate. They cannot tell an individual person if cancer will or will not shorten their life. Instead, these statistics describe trends in groups of people previously diagnosed with the same disease, including specific stages of the disease.
The 5-year relative survival rate for Kaposi sarcoma in the United States is 75%.
The survival rates for Kaposi sarcoma vary based on several factors. These include the stage of cancer, a person’s age and general health, and how well the treatment plan works. More effective treatments for HIV/AIDS are improving the survival rate both by treating the infections associated with HIV/AIDS and the Kaposi sarcoma.
If the cancer is localized, the 5-year relative survival rate is 81%. If the cancer is regional, the 5-year relative survival rate is 65%. If the cancer has spread to distant parts of the body, the 5-year relative survival rate is 47%.
Experts measure relative survival rate statistics for Kaposi sarcoma every 5 years. This means the estimate may not reflect the results of advancements in how Kaposi sarcoma is diagnosed or treated from the last 5 years. Talk with your doctor if you have any questions about this information. Learn more about understanding statistics.
Statistics adapted from the websites of the American Cancer Society and the International Agency for Research on cancer. (All sources accessed March 2023.)
The next section in this guide is Risk Factors and Prevention. It describes the factors that may increase the chance of developing Kaposi sarcoma and what may lower your risk. Use the menu to choose a different section to read in this guide.