Miliary Tuberculosis Mimicking Brain Metastasis from Renal Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

Background Miliary tuberculosis (TB) can cause diagnostic confusion for clinicians because its radiological appearance can resemble that of metastatic cancer. Case Report Here, we describe the case of a 72-yearold woman with miliary TB mimicking brain metastasis from renal cell carcinoma. The patient visited our clinic because of dysarthria and sluggish speech. A metastatic cancer such as renal cell carcinoma or brain tumor was suspected. However, the patient was diagnosed with miliary TB associated with multiple intracranial tuberculomas and a subsequent paradoxical response to anti-TB therapy. Conclusion Clinicians should be aware that miliary TB can mimic metastatic cancer even in older people, especially in TB-endemic regions.

Keywords

• Tuberculosis, Miliary
• Tuberculoma, Intracranial
• Brain neoplasms
• Neoplasm metastasis