Abstract
A 62 year-old male patient was diagnosed as having active pulmonary tuberculosis with positive sputum culture for tuberculosis bacillus. He responded well to antituberculosis chemotherapy at first. However, exacerbation of the disease occurred 5 months later unexpectedly. A tiny adenocarcinoma hidden in the tuberculous lesions was detected by bronchoscopic examination and radically resected.
The diagnosis of lung cancer is prone to be delayed when it develops in the midst of active tuberculosis. Therefore, the authors stressed that it is necessary to periodically examine sputum cytology and chest X-ray, and also perform bronchofiberscopy if necessary, especially among elderly heavy smokers.
