Myofascial pain associated with oropharyngeal cancer

Since the early detection of neoplastic disease may have a significant impact on the morbidity and mortality of the disease, all health professionals are urged to consider this in their differential diagnosis. The cases presented point up the difficulty of doing this because of the complex nature of the neural patterns that innervate the head and neck area. This becomes even more disturbing when neoplasia has been ruled out and the findings point to a myofascial basis for the complaint. It was only after the failure of treatment and the emergence of more sinister symptoms that a second evaluation disclosed malignant disease.