Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2022 Sep 28:2022:4687139.
doi: 10.1155/2022/4687139. eCollection 2022.

A Case of Peritoneal Tuberculosis Mimicking Ovarian Cancer in a Young Female

Oriel Nissim  1 , F Richard Ervin  2 , Susan E Dorman  1   2 , Deeksha Jandhyala  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

A Case of Peritoneal Tuberculosis Mimicking Ovarian Cancer in a Young Female

Oriel Nissim et al. Case Rep Obstet Gynecol. .

Abstract

Background: Tuberculosis causes significant morbidity and mortality globally. Peritoneal tuberculosis can have a similar presentation to ovarian cancer.

Case: We present a case of a 42-year-old female referred to gynecology oncology with imaging findings of enlarged right ovary, omental caking, and elevated CA-125 (1289 U/mL). A diagnostic laparoscopy revealed diffuse studding of intraperitoneal surfaces. Histopathological examination of omental and abdominal wall biopsies showed granulomas, but stains and cultures for mycobacteria were negative. Antimicrobial treatment for tuberculosis was initiated. Within eight weeks, there was clear clinical and radiographic improvement, consistent with a diagnosis of peritoneal tuberculosis.

Conclusion: This case highlights the importance of including peritoneal tuberculosis in the differential diagnosis when evaluating for ovarian cancer in women with epidemiologic risk factors for tuberculosis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests relevant to this report.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(a) Computed tomography (CT) imaging of the pelvis at the time of presentation and needle biopsy of omental caking. (b) Diagnostic laparoscopy showing innumerable tan, 1-2 mm nodules on the surface of the right ovary and uterus. (c) Diagnostic laparoscopy showing innumerable tan, 1-2 mm nodules on the anterior abdominal wall.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. World Health Organization. Global Health Observatory (GHO) data. 2021. https://www.who.int/gho/tb/epidemic/cases_deaths/en/
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tuberculosis (TB) 2021 https://www.cdc.gov/tb/statistics/tbcases.htm.
    1. Zumla A., Raviglione M., Hafner R., von Reyn C. F. Tuberculosis. The New England Journal of Medicine . 2013;368(8):745–755. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra1200894. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Thomas A., Sebastian A., George R., et al. Abdominal tuberculosis mimicking ovarian cancer: a diagnostic dilemma. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of India . 2020;70(4):304–309. doi: 10.1007/s13224-020-01322-8. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Xi X., Shuang L., Dan W., et al. Diagnostic dilemma of abdominopelvic tuberculosis: a series of 20 cases. Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology . 2010;136(12):1839–1844. doi: 10.1007/s00432-010-0842-7. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types