Coexistence of tuberculosis and malignancy: a mere coincidence or a causal association

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) and malignancy are among the most important current global health problems. Many authors suggest that their coexistence is a chance association owing to their high prevalence. There is, however, enough evidence that one condition may predispose the other. In our retrospective report of two cases, TB in draining lymph nodes was discovered incidentally on histopathology, following surgical resection for malignancy. The possibility of coexistent lesions, especially in regions endemic for TB, mandate a detailed histopathological examination to prevent the chances of diagnostic failure and thus therapeutic error.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis E MICOBACTÉRIAS NÃO TUBERCULOSE EM PACIENTE COM SÍNDROME DA IMUNODEFICIÊNCIA ADQUIRIDA E CÂNCER: RELATO DE CASO

“…A TB causa no paciente HIV positivo a diminuição dos linfócitos T CD4 + e favorece o aumento da viremia, provavelmente devido à acelerada depleção do sistema imune, deixando o paciente susceptível às formas mais severas da doença (ANDRADE et al, 2016). No período desse estudo, a carga viral do paciente manteve-se indetectável, mas houve oscilação da quantidade de Linfócitos T CD4 + , a qual pode ter ocorrido devido à terapia para câncer (PUJANI et al, 2016).…”

“…A tuberculose (TB) ainda hoje é uma das principais doenças infectocontagiosas em países em desenvolvimento. Sua infectividade está relacionada com o estado imunológico do indivíduo sendo que pessoas infectadas pelo Vírus da Imunodeficiência Humana (HIV) estão mais propensas à doença (GASPAR et al, 2016;PUJANI et al, 2016).…”

A Case of Laryngeal Tuberculosis, Endobronchial Tuberculosis and Pulmonary Tuberculosis Coexistent in an Immunocompetent Host

“…Physical findings vary but include laryngeal edema, hyperemia, nodularity, ulcerations, exophytic mass, and obliteration of anatomic landmarks [ 5 , 12 , 13 ]. In fact, there are growing concerns that radiographic similarities between TB and malignancy can delay their respective diagnoses [ 1 ]. CT and magnetic resonance imaging can better demonstrate the involvement of the surrounding structures and tissues of the larynx than does laryngoscopy [ 6 ].…”

“…Similarly, the incidence of laryngeal tuberculosis has been slowly declining. Most modern cases originate outside North America with developing countries having the highest incidence [ 1 ]. Highly contagious, close contact with an infected individual can instigate the purified protein derivative (PPD) conversion rate in 30-62.5% of cases.…”