Coexistent Bronchogenic Carcinoma and Active Pulmonary Tuberculosis

A Report of Five Cases with Autopsy Findings

¹ The Veterans Administration Hospital, Castle Point, New York,

1) Five cases are reported in which active pulmonary tuberculosis was found in association with bronchogenic carcinoma.

2) The diagnosis of bronchogenic carcinoma in tuberculous patients is often difficult because the two diseases have many features in common.

3) The following clinical features have been helpful in the diagnosis of the coexistence of the two diseases: (a) Chest pain in the absence of pleurisy or other obvious cause. (b) Profuse, recurring hemoptysis which often occurs as a terminal event. (c) The appearance of an atypical shadow or shadows in serial chest films not in keeping with progressive tuberculosis.

4) Whenever atypical findings are present in a tuberculous patient of the middle or older age group, bronchoscopy and cytological studies of sputum and bronchial aspirated secretions are indicated to rule out complicating carcinoma.