Malignant by name or malignant by nature: a case of Wegener's granulomatosis diagnosed as adenocarcinoma of unknown primary.
Most malignancies are characterised by malignant behaviour at some point in the disease trajectory. However, non-malignant diseases may exhibit malignant behaviour. A diagnosis of malignancy based on fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) can be misleading. We report a case of Wegener's granulomatosis initially diagnosed by FNAC as adenocarcinoma of unknown primary. The limitations of FNAC, the disparate prognoses of the two diagnoses despite a compatible clinical picture and the need for clinical vigilance in monitoring a disease course are highlighted.
Virik
K
K
Department of Medical Oncology, Guy's Hospital, London, UK.
Karapetis
C
C
Harper
P
P
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000556:secondary*; D000368:Aged; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D014890:Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000556:secondary*; D009382:Neoplasms, Unknown Primary