Background:
Tuberculous spondylitis (Pott's disease), a common extrapulmonary manifestation of tuberculosis (TB), typically presents with back pain, tenderness, paraparesis/paraplegia, and various constitutional symptoms. Due to radiological similarities between Pott's disease and lung cancer, some lung cancer patients may initially be erroneously diagnosed and treated for TB, allowing for extensive progression of their cancer.
Case description:
A 28-year-old male presented with a chronic dry cough, weight loss, and 2 months of increased back pain accompanied by bilateral lower extremity weakness. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an epidural collection causing compression of the spinal cord at the T5-T6 level. The initial diagnosis was Mycobacterium tuberculosis/Pott's disease. A thoracic T4-T8 decompression fusion was performed; however, pathologic examination of the tissue revealed adenocarcinoma. Postoperatively, after the patient experienced several episodes of acute respiratory distress and a tension pneumothorax, lung imaging confirmed multiple tumor infiltrates along with lung cancer extending into the thoracic vertebrae. Pelvic studies also confirmed the presence of pelvic metastases. The patient passed away 3 weeks following surgery.
Conclusion:
In this case report, a 28-year-old male was treated for thoracic Pott's disease that proved to be metastatic lung adenocarcinoma. To avoid such misdiagnoses in the future, physicians should better differentiate spinal TB from other malignancies that may affect the spine. This study underscores the importance of obtaining at least a chest X-ray in any patient with suspected Pott's disease, irrespective of age, to help rule out lung cancer or other pathologies.