A case of intractable facial pain secondary to metastatic lung cancer

Abstract

Persistent idiopathic facial pain, once called atypical facial pain, rarely anticipates the detection of a lung carcinoma. Thirty-six cases of intractable facial pain secondary to lung neoplasm are described in the literature. The onset of facial pain usually precedes the onset of symptoms and signs due to lung cancer by several months and therefore it should be considered, when present, as a possible marker for an early diagnosis of tumour. We report a case of intractable facial pain associated with metastatic lung cancer in a non-smoker.