A patient with a history of surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy 2 1/2 years previously for Dukes C colonic adenocarcinoma was diagnosed with a focal liver lesion on follow-up examinations. Ultrasound and computed tomography scan revealed a 3.8 cm soft tissue mass. Positron emission tomography scan showed intense uptake, corroborating the diagnosis of a colonic liver metastasis. Major hepatectomy was performed but pathology revealed that the lesion was in fact a benign tuberculosis pseudo-tumour. In developed countries liver tuberculosis remains extremely rare, particularly the macronodular form. The diagnosis is often made only after hepatectomy for suspected malignancy. The increasing use of potent anticancer chemotherapy may favour the reactivation of quiescent tuberculosis, posing a difficult differential diagnosis with liver metastases.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.