Concurrent malakoplakia of cervical lymph nodes and prostatic adenocarcinoma with bony metasta-sis: case report

Abstract

An unusual case of malakoplakia of the cervical lymph nodes in a patient with bony metastasis from prostrate cancer is reported. An 80-year-old patient with metastatic prostatic cancer presented with bilateral cervical lymphadenopathy, and a hard cervical mass in the left supraclavicular re-gion. Biopsy of the lymph gland revealed the pres-ence of malakoplakia, with no evidence of metas-tatic prostatic carcinoma. Though co-existence of malakoplakia and adenocarcinoma within the pros-trate gland has been reported before, this case is unique, as it highlights the rare occurrence of malakoplakia involving distant nodes in a patient with bony metastatic prostate cancer. This report reflects the fact that things are not always what they seem in medicine, and not infrequently we come across a different pathology which mimics another.