title: 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.
authors.affiliation: Headache Centre Department of Neurosciences, University of Padua, Via Giustiniani 5, 35128, Padua, Italy. silvia.ruffatti@gmail.com
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ruffatti
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zanchin
authors.forename: Ferdinando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Maggioni
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000556:secondary* / Q000628:therapy; D000368:Aged; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000556:secondary* / Q000628:therapy; D004358:Drug Therapy; D005157:Facial Pain / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D010148:Intractable Pain / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011878:Radiotherapy; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D020433:Trigeminal Nerve Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014278:Trigeminal Nuclei / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology