Can hepatocellular carcinoma cause complex regional pain syndrome?

Abstract

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a disorder which has variable clinical manifestations. CRPS type I is characterized by an initiating noxious situation, like a crush or soft tissue injury; or by immobilization, such as a tight cast. CRPS type II is characterized by the existence of a defined nerve damage. Among widespread causative factors soft tissue traumas and fractures had been reported as the most common reason of CRPS. Primary pathologies of the central nervous system and malignancies would also be seen as a causative factor. Because of complex presentations in cancer patients, signs of CRPS may be unrecognised or misdiagnosed. These cases may present before malignancy or as a complication of primary neoplasia. In this report an unusual and different CRPS patient associated with hepatocellular carcinoma is presented.