Metastasis of breast carcinoma to trigeminal nerve with numb chin syndrome: a case report and literature review

Abstract

Background In general, common metastatic pathways for breast carcinoma include lung, liver, and bone. Described herein is a rare case of breast carcinoma metastasis to the trigeminal nerve. And numb chin syndrome(NCS) has a certain suggestive effect on the recurrence or progression of cancer patients. Case presentation a 54-year-old Chinese female was admitted to our hospital for progressive anaesthesia of the lower left lip and chin. She was diagnosed as breast ductal carcinoma 9 years ago. The brain MRI demonstrated dumbbell-shaped involvement of left trigeminal nerve which extended to left temporal lobe. Then we treated patient with radiotherapy, the patient’s numbness relieved rapidly. Conclusion After review and analysis of the case, we found numb chin syndrome (NCS) is a “red flag” symptom of malignancy.1 When cancer patients develop numb chin syndrome(NCS), we need to be alert to the possibility of distant metastasis. This case also suggests that clinicians should pay attention to the possibility of breast cancer metastasis to the trigeminal nerve.