Female genital tract tuberculosis presenting as ovarian cancer.
BACKGROUND
Tuberculosis (TB) is still a major worldwide concern. There is no pathognomonic clinical feature or imaging findings for definite diagnosis of extra pulmonary TB. Therefore, TB involvement of Gastrointestinal or Genitourinary tract can be easily confused with peritoneal carcinomatosis and advanced ovarian carcinoma. Our aim is to emphasize the importance of considering the disease based upon the epidemiologic clues of the patients, while interpreting the positive results for a suspicious ovarian malignancy.


METHODS
This paper illustrates 8 cases of ovarian or peritoneal tuberculosis, whose initial diagnoses were malignant processes of the GU tract.


CONCLUSIONS
Tuberculosis (TB) should be always being considered in the differential diagnosis of advanced ovarian cancer, especially in the regions that are endemic for the disease.
Women Health Research center, Associate professor, Department of Gynecology Oncology, Ghaem Hospital, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Malihe
M
Hasanzadeh
Surgical Oncology Research Center, Assistant professor in Infectious Diseases, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Hamid Reza
HR
Naderi
Resident of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ghaem Hospital, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Azamossadat Hoseine
AH
Hoshyar
Medical student, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Shima
S
Shabane
Cancer Research Center, Omid Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Soodabeh
S
Shahidsales
Ovarian cancer; peritoneal tuberculosis; tuberculosis