A case of isolated gastric tuberculosis presenting an appearance of submucosal tumor

A 54-year-old asymptomatic man diagnosed with submucosal tumor-like isolated gastric tuberculosis was found in an annual barium swallow checkup to have a gastric submucosal tumor. Gastrointestinal fi-berscopy and computed tomography (CT) showed a 3cm submucosal gastric tumor at the greater mid-gastric curvature. The tumor's swift growth to 45 mm in only 4 months and swollen regional lymph nodes necessitated distal gastrectomy with lymphadenectomy due to potential malignancy. Histological examination showed epithelioid granuloma with Langhans giant cells in the resected tumor and lymph nodes. To determine if the man had tuberculosis, we cultured gastric juice and sputum postoperatively, finding only the gastric juice to be positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Given the possibility of remaining tubercular lesions, the man was administered antituberculosis medication for six months postoperatively. He remains alive and recurrence-free in the 3 years since surgery.