Cavitary Pulmonary Blastomycosis and an Incidental Retroperitoneal Ganglioneuroma Mimicking Metastatic Disease

Pulmonary blastomycosis is a fungal infection caused by <i>Blastomyces dermatitidis</i> that can present with a wide range of nonspecific pulmonary findings and, in rare cases, mimic metastatic malignancy. This case report describes a 26-year-old immunocompetent male who presented with subacute respiratory symptoms and was found to have numerous cavitary pulmonary lesions and a large infiltrative retroperitoneal mass, raising concern for disseminated malignancy, with subsequent evaluation revealing pulmonary blastomycosis and an incidental benign retroperitoneal ganglioneuroma.

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Publication Details

Journal
Cureus
Published
2026-02-15
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.103664
Primary Topic
Fungal Infections and Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Cavitary Pulmonary Blastomycosis and an Incidental Retroperitoneal Ganglioneuroma Mimicking Metastatic Disease

Matthew Karulf, Kaylin M. Burton, Matthew T Foley, Alec McKheen
Cureus
Fungal Infections and Studies
article

Cavitary Pulmonary Blastomycosis and an Incidental Retroperitoneal Ganglioneuroma Mimicking Metastatic Disease

Matthew Karulf, Kaylin M. Burton, Matthew T Foley, Alec McKheen
article en

Abstract

Pulmonary blastomycosis is a fungal infection caused by <i>Blastomyces dermatitidis</i> that can present with a wide range of nonspecific pulmonary findings and, in rare cases, mimic metastatic malignancy. This case report describes a 26-year-old immunocompetent male who presented with subacute respiratory symptoms and was found to have numerous cavitary pulmonary lesions and a large infiltrative retroperitoneal mass, raising concern for disseminated malignancy, with subsequent evaluation revealing pulmonary blastomycosis and an incidental benign retroperitoneal ganglioneuroma.

CureusVol. 18(2)
Marquette University (US), Marquette General Hospital (US), Michigan State University (US)
Good health and well-being
Openalex Percentile: Top 54%
Fungal Infections and Studies
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