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Concomitant tuberculosis and lung cancer diagnosed by bronchoscopy

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SETTING: South Granada Health Area (SGHA), Spain.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the characteristics of concomitant tuberculosis (TB) and lung cancer cases.

DESIGN: A total of 319 TB cases diagnosed between January 2003 and December 2010 were evaluated and identified using a prospective database. During this period, samples of bronchial secretions were obtained from all patients who underwent fibreoptic bronchoscopy (FBS) as part of a TB screening programme. A descriptive study was conducted.

RESULTS: Concomitant TB and lung cancer were diagnosed in 15 cases (4.7% of total TB cases). The most common radiographic finding was atelectasis (53.3%), and the most common histological type was epidermoid carcinoma (60%). Lung cancer stage was advanced (III–IV) in 60% of the cases.

CONCLUSION: The association between TB and lung cancer found in the SGHA after implementing a TB screening programme was higher than in other studies. This suggests that it would be advisable to perform acid-fast bacilli smear and mycobacterial culture of bronchial aspirates in all patients with presumed lung cancer, particularly in high TB prevalence areas.

Keywords: Mycobacterium; coexistent lung carcinoma; malignancy; neoplasm; tuberculosis

Document Type: Research Article

Affiliations: 1: Department of Pulmonology, Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital, Granada, Spain 2: Department of Infectious Diseases, San Cecilio University Hospital, Granada, Spain 3: Department of Internal Medicine, Santa Ana Hospital, Motril, Spain

Publication date: 01 September 2015

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  • The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IJTLD) is for clinical research and epidemiological studies on lung health, including articles on TB, TB-HIV and respiratory diseases such as COVID-19, asthma, COPD, child lung health and the hazards of tobacco and air pollution. Individuals and institutes can subscribe to the IJTLD online or in print – simply email us at [email protected] for details.

    The IJTLD is dedicated to understanding lung disease and to the dissemination of knowledge leading to better lung health. To allow us to share scientific research as rapidly as possible, the IJTLD is fast-tracking the publication of certain articles as preprints prior to their publication. Read fast-track articles.

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