Tuberculosis: a mimicker of malignancy

Chethan R RAYKAR ¹, Thet NAING ², Panduru Venkata KISHORE ², Vui Heng CHONG ¹

¹ Department of Medicine, RIPAS Hospital, Bandar Seri Begawan, ² Department of Medicine, PMMPAMB Hospital, Tutong, Brunei Darussalam

ABSTRACT

Tuberculosis infection remains an important cause of mortality. The clinical and radiological manifestations can be non-specific and resemble many other conditions, including malignancies. This could lead to diagnostic delay. We report the case of a 48-year-old woman with tuberculosis presenting with a right upper lobe mass manifesting as metastatic lung cancer. She also had liver cirrhosis secondary to chronic hepatitis B infection. She developed hepatitis two weeks into her tuberculosis treatment. Our case highlights the importance of considering tuberculosis in patients suspected to have underlying malignancy and to be aware of the potential adverse effects of treatment.

Keywords: Anti-tubercular drugs, hepatotoxicity, lung cancer, malignancy

                    Brunei Int Med J. 2012;8(2):94-98