• Sun Min Park, Ji Hoon Kim, Yosep Chong, and Won-Kyung Kang.
• Department of Surgery, Yeouido St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
• Medicine (Baltimore). 2022 May 27; 101 (21): e29430e29430.

RationaleFew cases have been reported of the coexistence of tuberculosis and adenocarcinoma of the large bowel. We report a rare case of concurrent ascending colon adenocarcinoma and ileocecal tuberculosis, which were nearly indistinguishable from one another.Patient ConcernsA 59-year-old man visited our clinic with dizziness and anorexia.DiagnosisComputed tomography revealed a mass in the ascending colon with ill-defined nodules in the liver. A colon biopsy showed adenocarcinoma with multinucleated giant cells. The liver nodules were confirmed to be metastatic adenocarcinomas.InterventionsAnt tuberculosis medications were administered prior to surgery. Two weeks later, a laparoscopic right hemicolectomy and radiofrequency ablation of the liver were performed.OutcomesThe final pathology confirmed adenocarcinoma with chronic granulomatous inflammation and giant cells.LessonsIn this patient, the cancer was in an advanced stage and had no history of tuberculosis infection. Thus, in this case, the malignancy seemed to create the proper environment for either reactivation of a latent tuberculosis infection or, less likely, for the acquisition of a primary mycobacterial infection. In conclusion, clinicians should be aware of the possibility of concurrent colon adenocarcinoma and intestinal tuberculosis.Copyright © 2022 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

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