A space occupying lesion masquerading as pancreatic carcinoma

The coexistence of painless jaundice and a space-occupying lesion in the head of the pancreas usually signifies a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. We present a case, where the cause of a pancreatic mass turned out to be related to tuberculosis. Tuberculosis affecting abdominal organs in isolation is uncommon, and more often forms part of disseminated disease. Pancreatic tuberculosis is very rare, especially in immunocompetent individuals. While every effort should be made to ensure that potentially operable pancreatic cancers undergo prompt surgical excision, the challenge for the future will be to make a preoperative diagnosis of pancreatic conditions that require medical rather than surgical therapy.