The Silent Passenger: Lung Cancer Hiding Beneath Tuberculosis Therapy

Abstract Lung cancer and pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) are the serious public health issues that cause a great deal of illness and mortality globally. Although it is rare for the two conditions to coexist, their similar clinical and radiological characteristics sometimes result in a delayed diagnosis and unfavorable results. We report the case of a 61-year-old male who was initially diagnosed and treated for PTB but was later found to have lung adenocarcinoma. Although he showed early improvement with antitubercular therapy (ATT), his symptoms worsened after a few months. Further investigations confirmed lung adenocarcinoma. This case highlights how tuberculosis and lung cancer can mimic each other and emphasizes the need to reassess the diagnosis when a patient does not respond as expected to ATT.