High prevalence and upward trend of pulmonary tuberculosis in leukemia, lymphoma and lung cancer patients

ABSTRACT

To document the prevalence and any increasing or decreasing trend of tuberculosis in cancer patients. Design: An analysis and comparison of patients suffering from cancers along with tuberculosis for years 1976, 1987 and 1999. Place and Duration of Study The record of all these patients was collected from different hospitals of Lahore, specially Mayo Hospital, Services Hospital and patients managed privately by the authors of this study. Subjects and In the years 1976, 1987 and 1999, total cancer patients were 1100, 1481 and 1628 respectively. Patients were diagnosed on the basis of history, physical examination, sputum for AFB, culture for AFB, tuberculin skin test and x-ray chest. In few difficult cases, Mycodot blood test was also performed. In patients with head and neck cancers, 3.6%, 3.9% and 4.4% had tuberculosis in the years 1976, 1987 and 1999 respectively. In lung cancer patients the prevalence of tuberculosis was 5.6%, 4.9% and 6.9% for each respective year. In case of leukemia and lymphoma, the prevalence of tuberculosis was 9.8%, 11.25% and 11.21% for the years 1976, 1987 and 1999 respectively. A statistically significant difference was seen in leukemia, lymphoma and lung cancer cases for the prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis as compared to all other cancers combined over respective years