Coexistence of acute miliary pulmonary tuberculosis and metastatic lung adenocarcinoma: a case report

A 36-years-old man complained of cough, expectoration and progressive anhelation for more than 3 months. Thoracic computed tomography (CT) showed miliary nodules diffusely distributed throughout both lungs. Acute miliary pulmonary tuberculosis (AMPT) was confirmed by sputum culture; meanwhile lung adenocarcinoma was found by sputum cytology. Subsequently, adenocarcinoma of colon was diagnosed according to PET/CT images and histopathology. Herein we report this case of coexistence of AMPT and metastatic lung adenocarcinoma, and suggest that diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis should be made cautiously for patients with diffusely military nodules, especially for those without symptoms alleviated after anti-tuberculous treatment.