Plain-language summary of research published in the Georgian Medical Journal. Written for the general public by the GMJ News editorial team.
A patient presents with a lung mass and enlarged lymph nodes. Cancer? Tuberculosis? The imaging could support either. A rare case report in the Georgian Medical Journal reveals the answer nobody expects: both at once — bronchopulmonary adenocarcinoma coexisting with tuberculous lymphadenitis, untangled by CT-guided biopsy.
Why Coexistence Is a Diagnostic Trap
Lung cancer and tuberculosis are the two great mimics of chest medicine — each can produce masses, nodules, and swollen lymph nodes. Clinicians are trained to find one explanation, so once either disease is confirmed, the search usually stops. That habit is precisely the trap: in this case, the lymphadenopathy was tuberculous while the lung lesion was malignant. Confirming TB alone would have left a cancer growing under cover of an apparently explained scan; confirming cancer alone would have staged the tumour as more advanced than it truly was — those “metastatic” nodes were infection, not spread — potentially denying the patient curative treatment.
The Role of CT-Guided Biopsy
The resolution came from tissue: separate CT-guided sampling of the lung lesion and the lymph nodes, each yielding its own diagnosis. The case is a demonstration of the principle that in ambiguous chest disease, every distinct lesion deserves its own pathological verdict.
Why It Matters — Especially in TB-Endemic Regions
In countries where tuberculosis remains common — including Georgia and much of the surrounding region — this coexistence, though rare, will keep occurring. Radiologists, pulmonologists, and oncologists who have read this case will think twice before letting one diagnosis end the investigation. That second thought can change a patient’s staging, treatment, and survival.
Read the Original Research
Original article: Coexistence of Bronchopulmonary Adenocarcinoma and Tuberculous Lymphadenitis Diagnosed by CT-Guided Biopsy: A Rare Case Report and Literature Review
Authors: Aymar Kassa Boukat, Massine Mohammed El Hammoumi, Yassir Benameur, El Hassane Kabiri
Published in: Georgian Medical Journal, Vol. 1 No. 1 (2026) — A New Voice in Georgian Medicine
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19053394
📄 Read the full article at gmj.ge →
Georgian Medical Journal (GMJ) · ISSN 3088-4322 · gmj.ge · Open Access CC BY 4.0 · Published by the Public Health Institute of Georgia (PHIG). This summary is an independent editorial product of GMJ News; for clinical decisions, consult the original peer-reviewed article and a qualified professional.
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