Abstract
The author reported here on three cases of tuberculosis of oral cavity, pharynx and larynx, which were very similar to malignant tumors clinically.
Case 1. A farmer's wife, forty-two years old, whose complaints were nasal bleeding and tumor on the mucous membrane of the left cheek. She had suffered from toothache for one year and had an extraction of that tooth twice. We suspected it to be tuberculosis of gingiva.
Case 2. A woman, thirty-one years old, who complained of swelling on the right submandibular region. She had some treatment for syphilitic pharyngitis, because the serologic test for syphilis was positive. First of all we suspected it to be sarcoma of pharynx, and she was treated with 60Co-irradiation and extirpation of the tumor. Afterwards, it proved to be the tuberculosis of the pharynx by histological re-examination.
Case 3. A farmer's wife, forty-seven years old, whose complaint was hoarseness. Two years before she had suffered from cold and her voice became hoarse after that. The authors found that there was tumorous swelling on the right vocal cord. It was suspected to be a malignant tumor and irradiated with 60Co. Afterwards the histological examination revealed it to be tuberculosis.
The authors stress that in diagnosis of any disease tuberculosis must be always kept in mind.
