REACTIVATION OF TUBERCULOSIS COEXISTING WITH SMALL CELL CARCINOMA

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer related deaths and Tuberculosis is the leading infectious killer. The association between the two has been studied previously. The most common association has been found with squamous cell carcinoma followed by adenocarcinoma . The chances of this association were also found to increase in cases of reactivation of tuberculosis compared to new cases. However, only a few studies have reported the association between tuberculosis and small cell carcinoma in the past. We hereby report a case of small cell carcinoma, diagnosed in a patient with reactivation of pulmonary tuberculosis based on clinical and radiological suspicion and conrmed by histopathology. However, whether the carcinoma arose from the residual TB lesion could not be ascertained. Because of rare association of small cell carcinoma with tuberculosis especially in a treated patient of tuberculosis we report this case. It should prompt the clinicians to have a high degree of suspicion to rule out alternative or coexisting diagnosis in treated cases of tuberculosis and to not merely limit themselves to a single diagnosis for optimal patient care.