Mucormycosis Masquerading as a Gastric Tumor

Background: Fungal infections involving the gastrointestinal tract involve most commonly candida infections of esophagus. Fungal infections affecting the stomach are rare. The involvement of stomach by mucormycosis has been documented in case reports in past in autopsy series.

Case report: A 50-year-old gentleman was admitted with severe urinary tract infection secondary to ureteric obstruction with sepsis with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome in intensive care unit (ICU) post-laser lithotripsy. He developed hematemesis of approximately 20 mL on day 7 of ICU admission. The upper GI endoscopy revealed a proliferative lesion in the gastric fundus approximately 3 cm × 3 cm in size with greenish exudate without any other erosions or ulcerations (Panels A and B). Biopsies were taken from the lesion and on histopathology they revealed aseptate hyphae invading the gastric mucosa (mucormycosis) (Panel C). He had tested negative for HIV, had normal sugars, had not received steroids recently. The patient unfortunately succumbed to the disease before the biopsy report could be obtained.

Learning point: Mucormycosis can present as a tumefactive lesion in stomach in an immunocompetent patient and suspicion should warrant early antifungal therapy and if needed surgery.

All authors participated in data collection, analysis, final drafting, and proof-reading of the final manuscript.

The authors declare no financial support or competing interests.

Informed patient consent was obtained prior to submission.

Publication History

Article published online:
22 April 2024