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Fatally invasive actinomycosis masquerading as a tonsillar carcinoma
Author(s) -
Pézier Thomas F.,
Kastrinidis Nikos,
Widmer GianMarco,
Huber Gerhard F.,
Probst Rudolf
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
head and neck
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.012
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1097-0347
pISSN - 1043-3074
DOI - 10.1002/hed.23659
Subject(s) - actinomycosis , medicine , tonsil , submucosa , lesion , actinomyces , autopsy , cancer , surgery , pathology , biology , genetics , bacteria
Background Actinomyces is a bacterial rod found in the normal oral flora. It can gain entry to the submucosa via trivial wounds and ultimately lead to slow growing lesions which may mimic cancerous lesions. Methods and Results We present the case of an elderly, immunosuppressed woman who presented with a herald bleed from a tonsillar lesion. Despite initial operative arrest of the hemorrhage, she died of a carotid blowout. At autopsy, no sign of cancer was found, but rather an invasive actinomycosis. Conclusion Although actinomycosis of the tonsil is well known and has even been described as mimicking tonsillar cancer, this is, to our knowledge, the first report of a carotid blowout secondary to actinomycosis. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 36: E129–E130, 2014