Rare Coexistence of Endobronchial Tuberculosis and Bronchial Carcinoid Tumor: A Diagnostic Challenge.
L Shreya, V Jereen, A Arthi et al.
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Case in brief
A 57-year-old woman presented with respiratory symptoms and constitutional features suggestive of tuberculosis. Imaging showed a right hilar mass with airway compromise, and bronchoscopy identified an obstructive endobronchial lesion. Cartridge-based nucleic acid amplification testing confirmed tuberculosis; elevated serum chromogranin levels raised suspicion of a coexisting bronchial carcinoid. She began anti-tubercular therapy, with further oncological evaluation planned to clarify the lesion.
What made this case unusual
The diagnostic challenge was the coexistence of microbiologically confirmed endobronchial tuberculosis and a suspected carcinoid in an obstructive lesion, with the tumor not yet established in the report.
Diagnostic / clinical pearl
A positive test for endobronchial tuberculosis may not fully explain an obstructive lesion or hilar mass; consider concurrent pathology and integrate microbiological, bronchoscopic, imaging, and tumor-marker findings.