Pancreatic Mass: Remember Tuberculosis—A Rare Cause of Pancreatic Mass

Abstract

Pancreatic tuberculosis is a rare disease. Patients with pancreatic tuberculosis often present with nonspecific symptoms, such as low-grade fever, weight loss, and abdominal pain, and with or without a history of tuberculosis or pancreatic disease. It is often misdiagnosed due to low index of suspicion and masquerading of its symptoms as more common pancreatic conditions such as pancreatic malignancy. This could result in unnecessary surgery. As this is a treatable disease that does not require surgery, it is imperative to diagnose this condition preoperatively. We report this patient of pancreatic mass presenting as locally advanced pancreatic malignancy, subsequently diagnosed to be pancreatic tuberculosis and successfully managed with anti-tubercular medications.

Letter: Bleeding and Pain—When Tuberculosis Licks the Pancreas and Bites the Intestine

“…We report the case for multiple interesting facets-pancreatic tuberculosis is a rare entity even in tuberculosis endemic region and mimics pancreatic carcinoma. [1][2][3] It could be asymptomatic or manifest as lymph nodal or pancreatic mass and may even form abscess or cyst-like lesion. 2 Another interesting facet of the present case was that both upper gastrointestinal and lower gastrointestinal bleeding were noted in the same patient.…”