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Pain as an atypical presentation of squamous cell carcinoma
T L Schroeder1, D F Mac Farlane, L H Goldberg
1Department of Dermatology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
Background:
Cancer of the skin may be difficult to diagnose clinically if there are minimal skin findings on examination.
Objective:
To remind physicians that the symptoms of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) may precede physical signs of the tumor.
Methods:
Perineural invasion of SCC was confirmed by histologic examination of surgical specimens.
Results:
We present two patients whose initial presentation of SCC was facial pain due to extensive perineural invasion. Their diagnoses were delayed until skin lesions eventually became evident months later.
Conclusion:
Early detection can be lifesaving, thus emphasizing the importance of including skin cancer in the differential for facial pain or paresthesia.