Peritoneal tuberculosis simulating advanced ovarian carcinoma: is clinical impression sufficient to administer neoadjuvant chemotherapy for advanced ovarian cancer?

Large bilateral tubercular pyosalpinx in a young woman with genitourinary malformation: a case report

Introduction

Tuberculosis is a chronic infectious disease, and the morbidity associated with it has major health implications. When tuberculosis affects the genital organs of young females, it has the devastating effect of causing irreversible damage to their fallopian tubes, resulting in a possible tubercular pyosalpinx and infertility. However, the disease often remains silent or presents with very few specific symptoms. In adolescents and young women, tuberculosis can also present with hypogastric recurrent symptoms and affectation of the general state, but because in our country genital tuberculosis is uncommon, its diagnosis is unlikely.

Case presentation

We describe the case of an 18-year-old Spanish woman who had been sexually active for 1 year, nulliparous, who presented with hypogastric discomfort and repeated urinary symptoms complicated with pelvic inflammatory disease after a hysterosalpingography. Genital tuberculosis was not suspected. The echographical findings and tumor markers mimicked those of ovarian tumors, and she was also a carrier of a genitourinary malformation (pelvic kidney and septate uterus). A laparotomy was performed and revealed large pelvic abscesses. On her right adnexum, the large pyosalpinx was free (floating pyosalpinx). Drainage, adhesiolysis and bilateral salpingectomy were performed, and cultures were taken. Histopathological study showed bilateral granulomatous abscessificated salpingitis with suspicion of genital tuberculosis, and cultures were positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. She followed a tuberculostatic treatment for 6 months. Eight years later, she presents with normal menstruations and is waiting for an in vitro fertilization cycle.

Conclusions

No other reported case showing similar association of genital tuberculosis and genitourinary malformation was found. The associated genitourinary malformation in this case probably has no relation but it could contribute to diagnosis delay and/or to reactivate the pathology. The hysterosalpingographical findings and the observation of a floating pyosalpinx must alert the clinician to genital tuberculosis, but the diagnosis is suggested by the histopathological studies and confirmed by cultures. In this case study, the necessity of considering the risk of pelvic inflammatory disease reactivation after hysterosalpingography, of suspecting the diagnosis of genital tuberculosis and of establishing the differential diagnosis with ovarian tumors in the presence of large pyosalpinges is highlighted.

Extraovarian conditions mimicking ovarian cancer: a single center experience of 15 years

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to review cases of extra-ovarian conditions that resembled ovarian malignancy and thus, to evaluate the distribution of primary pathology mimicking ovarian malignancy.

METHODS

A retrospective review of women, with final pathology of extra-ovarian diseases mimicking ovarian malignancy, which were managed at Zekai Tahir Burak Women's Health Education and Research Hospital, from January 1995 to April 2010 was undertaken.

RESULTS

Among the 2,210 women treated during the study period, extra-ovarian diseases accounted for 5.11% (113/2,210) of all the cases. Of the 113 extra-ovarian diseases, 42 (37.17%) were peritoneal tuberculosis, 25 (22.13%) were gastrointestinal malignancies, 20 (17.70%) were pelvic abscess, 8 (7.08%) were pelvic echinococcosis, 8 (7.08) were schwannoma and other retroperitoneal tumors, 4 (3.53%) were malignant lymphoma, 2 (1.77%) were chronic ectopic pregnancy, gossypiboma, and mesenteric cyst, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Medical awareness of infectious diseases such as peritoneal tuberculosis, pelvic abscess, and pelvic echinococcosis in the differential diagnosis of ovarian malignancy is still lacking, especially in developing countries. In addition, in case of a pelvic mass, gastrointestinal and retroperitoneal tumors and malignant lymphoma should always be considered to avoid pitfalls in diagnosis and therapy.

Tuberculosis and malignancy

BACKGROUND

Tuberculosis (TB) and malignancy represent global threats claiming millions of lives and inflicting formidable suffering worldwide. Surprisingly, the pathophysiological and practical implications of their co-existence have received little attention.

METHODS

Therefore, we sought to review the available literature on the field and identify data regarding the association between TB and malignancy in order to highlight the neglected aspects of this association and probably derive clinically useful information. We searched PubMed up to June 2008 for case reports, case series, non-comparative and comparative studies that were written in English and reported data on the occurrence of both TB infection and a neoplastic disorder in the same patient(s). The development of mycobacterial infections in patients with immunocompromized conditions is well known and was considered outside the scope of this review.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

The synthesis of the available evidence enabled us to establish three different types of association between malignancy and TB: (i) the development of cancer on the background of a previous tuberculous infection; (ii) the concurrent existence of TB and malignancy in the same patient(s) or clinical specimen(s); and (iii) the diagnostic challenges arising from the multi-faceted presentations of these two disorders.

CONCLUSION

We conclude that clinicians need to be aware of the protean manifestations of TB and cancer and maintain a high index of suspicion for simultaneous and/or misleading presentations. In addition, further research is required to determine if a tuberculous infection, being similar to other chronic infections and inflammatory conditions, may facilitate carcinogenesis.

Familial tuberculosis mimicking advanced ovarian cancer

Genital TB may present as on abdominopelvic mass mimicking ovarian malignancy because clinical and laboratory findings are similar. Family history is very important and should be considered for differential diagnosis. Three cases of genital TB with presentation of abdominopelvic masses and with no signs and symptoms of TB were presented. Two of them had positive family history of pulmonary TB. Tissue diagnosis was the best method for diagnosis of genital TB, but it should be reminded that if positive family history of TB was present, mini laparotomy should be done to take biopsy and to make rapid diagnosis before treatment.