Two Cases with Metastatic Cervical Lymph Nodes from Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Simultaneously Showing Tuberculous Caseosa

Abstract

We had encountered two men, 51-year and 35-year-old, with nasopharngeal carcinoma. These patients showed nasopharyngeal tumor and metastatic lymph nodes in the neck. After chemotherapy followed by radiation, bilateral neck dissection was performed under general anesthesia.
Poorly differentiated carcinoma was diagnosed histologically in both patients, however, resected of neck lymph nodes showed caseating granuloma suggesting tuberculous. Thus, it was suggested that tuberculous lymph nodes might be caused by decreased immunological competence due to nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
There have been few cases with lymphadenitis which have demonstrated both cancer cells and tuberculous caseosa.
We discuss the mechanism based on previous reports.