Diagnosis of secondary tuberculosis infection in an asymptomatic elderly with cancer using next-generation sequencing: Case report

In recent years, there has been a notable increase in the prevalence of tumors and tuberculosis (TB), particularly among elderly and immunocompromised populations. Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial for significantly improving patient outcomes. However, traditional diagnostic methods exhibit...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Huang Jiahuan, Ren Wenbo, Hu Weishang, Ni Jianfang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: De Gruyter 2025-06-01
Series:Open Life Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1515/biol-2025-1123
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849329220127293440
author Huang Jiahuan
Ren Wenbo
Hu Weishang
Ni Jianfang
author_facet Huang Jiahuan
Ren Wenbo
Hu Weishang
Ni Jianfang
author_sort Huang Jiahuan
collection DOAJ
description In recent years, there has been a notable increase in the prevalence of tumors and tuberculosis (TB), particularly among elderly and immunocompromised populations. Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial for significantly improving patient outcomes. However, traditional diagnostic methods exhibit certain limitations. The rapid advancement of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) has shown promising applications in the field of infectious diseases. We describe an 88-year-old male with multiple comorbidities, including newly diagnosed localized prostate cancer, who presented asymptomatically. Routine mNGS screening unexpectedly identified Mycobacterium tuberculosis, suggesting that malignancy may foster immune conditions favoring latent TB reactivation. This case emphasizes mNGS’s role as a rapid, sensitive diagnostic adjunct for occult infections in high-risk populations.
format Article
id doaj-art-3f462df3c03b40cea8f6591e5e700410
institution Kabale University
issn 2391-5412
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher De Gruyter
record_format Article
series Open Life Sciences
spelling doaj-art-3f462df3c03b40cea8f6591e5e7004102025-08-20T03:47:20ZengDe GruyterOpen Life Sciences2391-54122025-06-0120152028010.1515/biol-2025-1123Diagnosis of secondary tuberculosis infection in an asymptomatic elderly with cancer using next-generation sequencing: Case reportHuang Jiahuan0Ren Wenbo1Hu Weishang2Ni Jianfang3Geriatric Medicine Center, Department of Geriatric Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, Affiliated People’s Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, ChinaCenter for Rehabilitation Medicine, Rehabilitation & Sports Medicine Research Institute of Zhejiang Province, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, Affiliated People’s Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, ChinaGeriatric Medicine Center, Department No. 2 of Acupuncture & Massage, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, Affiliated People’s Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, ChinaGeriatric Medicine Center, Department of Geriatric Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, Affiliated People’s Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, ChinaIn recent years, there has been a notable increase in the prevalence of tumors and tuberculosis (TB), particularly among elderly and immunocompromised populations. Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial for significantly improving patient outcomes. However, traditional diagnostic methods exhibit certain limitations. The rapid advancement of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) has shown promising applications in the field of infectious diseases. We describe an 88-year-old male with multiple comorbidities, including newly diagnosed localized prostate cancer, who presented asymptomatically. Routine mNGS screening unexpectedly identified Mycobacterium tuberculosis, suggesting that malignancy may foster immune conditions favoring latent TB reactivation. This case emphasizes mNGS’s role as a rapid, sensitive diagnostic adjunct for occult infections in high-risk populations.https://doi.org/10.1515/biol-2025-1123metagenomic next-generation sequencingmycobacterium tuberculosiscancerelderly
spellingShingle Huang Jiahuan
Ren Wenbo
Hu Weishang
Ni Jianfang
Diagnosis of secondary tuberculosis infection in an asymptomatic elderly with cancer using next-generation sequencing: Case report
Open Life Sciences
metagenomic next-generation sequencing
mycobacterium tuberculosis
cancer
elderly
title Diagnosis of secondary tuberculosis infection in an asymptomatic elderly with cancer using next-generation sequencing: Case report
title_full Diagnosis of secondary tuberculosis infection in an asymptomatic elderly with cancer using next-generation sequencing: Case report
title_fullStr Diagnosis of secondary tuberculosis infection in an asymptomatic elderly with cancer using next-generation sequencing: Case report
title_full_unstemmed Diagnosis of secondary tuberculosis infection in an asymptomatic elderly with cancer using next-generation sequencing: Case report
title_short Diagnosis of secondary tuberculosis infection in an asymptomatic elderly with cancer using next-generation sequencing: Case report
title_sort diagnosis of secondary tuberculosis infection in an asymptomatic elderly with cancer using next generation sequencing case report
topic metagenomic next-generation sequencing
mycobacterium tuberculosis
cancer
elderly
url https://doi.org/10.1515/biol-2025-1123
work_keys_str_mv AT huangjiahuan diagnosisofsecondarytuberculosisinfectioninanasymptomaticelderlywithcancerusingnextgenerationsequencingcasereport
AT renwenbo diagnosisofsecondarytuberculosisinfectioninanasymptomaticelderlywithcancerusingnextgenerationsequencingcasereport
AT huweishang diagnosisofsecondarytuberculosisinfectioninanasymptomaticelderlywithcancerusingnextgenerationsequencingcasereport
AT nijianfang diagnosisofsecondarytuberculosisinfectioninanasymptomaticelderlywithcancerusingnextgenerationsequencingcasereport