[Peritoneal tuberculosis mimicking ovarian cancer--diagnostic difficulties. Two cases reports].

Tuberculosis, and particularly its extrapulmonary location, still causes diagnostic difficulties. In 2007, 7.3% of newly registered cases of tuberculosis in Poland were located extrapulmonarily. Peritoneal tuberculosis is often misdiagnosed as ovarian cancer due to similar symptoms such as: abdominal pain, abdominopelvic masses, ascites and elevated CA-125 serum concentration. We present reports of two patients with suspected ovarian cancer at admission. The patients’ complaints, as well as elevated serum levels of CA-125, suggested ovarian cancer. Chest X-rays showed a normal picture in one case and minimal fibrotic changes in the other. The results of additional tests were uncharacteristic. Based on the data obtained by diagnostic laparoscopy, observed clinical symptoms and the intraoperative picture, which all suggested ovarian cancer, a resection (total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy) was performed in both cases. Histological evaluation of biopsy specimens revealed peritoneal tuberculosis in both cases.