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.
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