Paracoccidioidomycosis and cancer

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Paracoccidioidomycosis and cancer

Viroj Wiwanitkit

Professor of Tropical Medicine, Visiting Professor, Hainan Medical College, Haikou, China

To the Editor:

I read the recent publication on paracoccidioidomycosis and cancer with great interest.⁽¹⁾ Rodrigues et al. concluded that a diagnosis of paracoccidiodomycosis increases the risk for lung cancer.⁽¹⁾ Indeed, there have been some previous reports on this issue. It is accepted that paracoccidioidomycosis can be an important overlapping infection in patients with cancer.⁽²⁾ However, I have some comments on the article by Rodrigues et al. First, the report should not have drawn any conclusions regarding the "risk", because it was not an analytical study and did not have a case-control format. Second, a retrospective chart review implies a high possibility of underdiagnosis.

References

• 1. Rodrigues Gda S, Severo CB, Oliveira Fde M, Moreira Jda S, Prolla JC, Severo LC. Association between paracoccidioidomycosis and cancer. J Bras Pneumol. 2010;36(3):356-62.
• 2. Shikanai-Yasuda MA, Conceição YM, Kono A, Rivitti E, Campos AF, Campos SV. Neoplasia and paracoccidioidomycosis. Mycopathologia. 2008;165(45):303-12.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  27 Oct 2010
• Date of issue
  Oct 2010