Renal tuberculosis mimicking renal cell carcinoma: a case report

BACKGROUND: Urogenital tuberculosis is still a frequent presentation, and it constitutes a current public health problem in endemic areas. The clinical presentation of this form of the disease may be misleading. The pseudotumoral type of renal tuberculosis is extremely uncommon. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a case of a 52-year-old African woman who presented with urogenital tuberculosis in its pseudotumoral form. This case was initially diagnosed and managed as renal cancer. Histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of pseudotumoral renal tuberculosis. CONCLUSIONS: The pseudotumoral form of urinary tuberculosis can be difficult to diagnose. Only bacteriological or histological confirmation allows diagnosis for adequate treatment.