Abstract
The coexistence of tuberculosis with axillary lymph node metastases in breast carcinoma is rare. Axillary lymph node metastasis is the most important factor in the staging of breast carcinoma, and the number of axillary lymph nodes metastasizing changes the stage. Since tuberculosis also produces lymph node enlargement, this can mimic or complicate the staging of a malignant disease. Dual organ pathology can lead to interpretation difficulties and inappropriate treatment of tuberculosis as well as breast carcinoma. Additionally, fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of such cases can be misleading if only one of the diseases is detected. We report two cases of infiltrating carcinoma of the nonspecific type of the breast in two women aged 35 and 55 where tuberculosis was found in the axillary lymph nodes in addition to metastases. As the present case led to the fortuitous discovery of tuberculosis with tumor metastasis, it reinforces the possibility of a coexisting lesion in the minds of pathologists, especially in areas endemic to tuberculosis.
Highlights
The coexistence of breast cancer and tuberculosis is very rare and less reported in the literature [1] [2] [3] [4]
We report two cases of infiltrating carcinoma of the nonspecific type of the breast in two women aged 35 and 55 where tuberculosis was found in the axillary lymph nodes in addition to metastases
We report two rare cases of invasive mammary carcinoma of the nonspecific type with metastatic ipsilateral lymph node associated with lymph node tuberculosis discovered incidentally during histological examination
Summary
The coexistence of breast cancer and tuberculosis is very rare and less reported in the literature [1] [2] [3] [4]. Tuberculosis (TB), cannot be ignored even if it is considered a coexisting lesion, especially in endemic areas like Mali. It is the histological examination which made it possible to make the differential diagnosis. We report two rare cases of invasive mammary carcinoma of the nonspecific type with metastatic ipsilateral lymph node associated with lymph node tuberculosis discovered incidentally during histological examination
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
