First of all, surgery means taking out the cancer. A doctor may remove the cancer using one of the following methods. Local excision cuts out the lesion and some of the tissue around it. Electrodesiccation and curettage burns the lesion and removes it with a sharp instrument. Cryotherapy has been used successfully for the treatment of isolated small KS lesions.
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells.
Chemotherapy may be taken by pill, or it may be put into the body by a needle in a vein or muscle. Chemotherapy is called a systemic treatment because the drug enters the blood stream, travels through the body, and can kill cancer cells outside the original site. Radiation therapy is a common treatment of Kaposi's sarcoma. Radiation therapy uses high dose x-rays or other high energy rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation therapy is best suited for the patient with a single or a few locally symptomatic areas.