Abstract
We presented a case of intestinal tuberculosis which developed minute early and advanced colon carcinomas after 14 years from the onset. A 79-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital complaining of diarrhea and lower abdominal pain in 1988. She had been suffering from intestinal tuberculosis since 1974 when the diagnosis was confirmed by the presence of granulomas and positive culture of mycobacterium tuberculosis from biopsy specimen. Barium enema examination in 1988 revealed remarkable shortening of the ascending colon and scattered atrophic scar areas in the transverse and descending colon. Endoscopic examination disclosed a shallow depressed lesion in the transverse colon and a lesion with irregular reddish granules in the descending colon. Biopsy specimen from both lesions showed tubular adenocarcinoma. Histological examination revealed an advanced carcinoma invading into the subserosa in the transverse colon, and a minute early carcinoma in the descending colon. Analysing 65 cases of intestinal tuberculosis complicated with colon carcinoma reported in Japan, most of the carcinomas were advanced ones. So, it was suggested that intestinal tuberculosis should be carefully followed up with endoscopy considering colon carcinoma as a complication.
