Periorbital Edema in Kaposi's Sarcoma

To the Editor: As Dr. Zidar notes in the legend accompanying the image of periorbital edema associated with AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma (May 4 issue), 1 edema is a common problem in patients with AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma, especially those with advanced disease, with up to one fifth of patients having this problem. 2 , 3 Edema is not, however, an absolute indication for systemic chemotherapy — especially a regimen as toxic as the combination of doxorubicin, bleomycin, and vincristine. We find that in the absence of other problems associated with Kaposi's sarcoma, periorbital edema responds well to local, wide-field, megavoltage irradiation. Systemic chemotherapy often . . .