Tuberculosis
The incidence of bronchogenic carcinoma at autopsy in tuberculosis patients has been reported to be 20 times that in the general population, comparable to that reported for heavy smokers. Steinitz evaluated a population in Israel with relatively few heavy smokers, and found that patients with previous tuberculosis had an increased risk of developing lung carcinoma, approximately five times greater than the general population males and ten times greater in females. Other series show that association of lung carcinoma superimposed on previous tuberculosis is frequent, with the incidence being approximately 5%. Interestingly, the distribution of various histopathologic cell types of bronchogenic carcinoma are not significantly different from the population with lung cancer and no prior history of tuberculosis. Finally, the often severe chronic radiographic changes in tuberculosis significantly delay recognition of radiographic abnormalities and ultimate diagnosis of lung carcinoma.