Ma L, Wang KP, Jin C. Abdominal tuberculosis with pancreatic head involvement mimicking pancreatic malignancy in a young man: A case report. World J Clin Cases 2025; 13(18): 101612 [DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v13.i18.101612]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Chong Jin, MS, Professor, Department of General Surgery, Taizhou Central Hospital (Taizhou University Hospital), No. 999 Donghai Avenue, Jiaojiang District, Taizhou 318000, Zhejiang Province, China. 13757689065@163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
Case Report
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Clin Cases. Jun 26, 2025; 13(18): 101612 Published online Jun 26, 2025. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v13.i18.101612
Abdominal tuberculosis with pancreatic head involvement mimicking pancreatic malignancy in a young man: A case report
Lei Ma, Kun-Peng Wang, Chong Jin
Lei Ma, Kun-Peng Wang, Chong Jin, Department of General Surgery, Taizhou Central hospital (Taizhou University Hospital), Taizhou 318000, Zhejiang Province, China
Author contributions: Ma L and Wang KP designed this study, reviewed the literature, and wrote the manuscript; Ma L and Jin C collected the patient’s clinical data; Ma L, Wang KP, and Jin C revised the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Informed consent statement: Informed written consent was obtained from the patient and legal guardian for publication of this report and any accompanying images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest to report.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Chong Jin, MS, Professor, Department of General Surgery, Taizhou Central Hospital (Taizhou University Hospital), No. 999 Donghai Avenue, Jiaojiang District, Taizhou 318000, Zhejiang Province, China. 13757689065@163.com
Received: September 20, 2024 Revised: December 15, 2024 Accepted: January 23, 2025 Published online: June 26, 2025 Processing time: 159 Days and 21.5 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Pancreatic tuberculosis (PTB) is a rare disease, even in immunocompetent hosts. Abdominal tuberculosis involving the pancreatic head and peripancreatic areas may simulate pancreatic head carcinoma.
CASE SUMMARY
We present the case of a 32-year-old man who was admitted to our hospital for intermittent epigastric pain and weight loss. A computed tomography scan and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a mass in the head of the pancreas. The lesion was initially diagnosed as pancreatic head carcinoma on abdominal imaging. Laparotomy confirmed the diagnosis of PTB and the patient received antituberculosis therapy.
CONCLUSION
The present case is reported to emphasize the importance of including PTB in the differential diagnosis of pancreatic lesions.
Core Tip: Pancreatic tuberculosis (PTB) is a rare and challenging condition, particularly in immunocompetent individuals. It commonly presents with nonspecific symptoms that resemble those of pancreatic malignancies, complicating the diagnosis based solely on clinical and imaging findings. Therefore, a thorough diagnostic approach, including histopathological confirmation, is crucial for accurate identification. Clinicians should maintain a high level of suspicion for PTB, especially in areas with a high prevalence of tuberculosis, and include it in the differential diagnosis of pancreatic lesions to avoid delays in treatment.
