Analysis of solitary non-tuberculous mycobacteriosis preoperatively suspected as malignant tumor

Abstract

We investigated 12 surgical cases of non-tuberculous mycobacteriosis that were preoperatively suspected as malignant tumors from January 2010 to December 2016. Ten of the patients were male, 2 were female, and their mean age was 66 years old. M. avium was detected in 8 patients, M. intracellulare in 3 patients, and M. kansasii in 1 patient. The mean mass diameter was 30 mm (range: 11 to 74 mm), and mean maximum standardized uptake value in FDG-PET was 6.98 (range: 3.18 to 13.40). The surgical procedures included 4 lobectomies, 1 segmentectomy, and 7 wedge resections. Adjuvant chemotherapy was performed in 5 patients. There was no recurrence in any patient. According to this analysis, it is extremely difficult to preoperatively distinguish solitary non-tuberculous mycobacteriosis from a malignant tumor, and surgery for solitary non-tuberculous mycobacteriosis should be actively considered.