Kaposi's sarcoma appearing as a rectal ulcer

This case report describes the occurrence of a painful rectal ulcer and associated fecal incontinence in a male homosexual with acquired immune deficiency syndrome. At biopsy, the ulcer proved to be Kaposi's sarcoma. The unusual location and the atypical gross appearance of this lesion underscore the need for an aggressive diagnostic approach to such ulcerative lesions. The advanced stage of the tumor at diagnosis and the patient's poor prognosis presented a difficult therapeutic dilemma, for which only palliative measures and local control were recommended.