Numb Chin Syndrome Leading to a Diagnosis of Salivary Ductal Adenocarcinoma: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

• Main Authors: Lei Wu, Yifan Zheng, Zhou Zhou, Yanmei Liu, Weixi Zhang, Qi Wu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2017-07-01
• Series: Frontiers in Neurology
• Subjects: numb chin syndrome; mental nerve neuropathy; metastatic tumor of mandible; malignant; salivary carcinoma; salivary ductal adenocarcinoma
• Online Access: http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fneur.2017.00343/full

Numb chin syndrome (NCS) refers to a rare sensory neuropathy characterized by numbness of the chin within the distribution of the mental or inferior alveolar nerve. Although NCS is usually caused by a benign process, it should not be underestimated and a thorough diagnostic evaluation for a new or known progressive malignancy should always be performed. Here, we report a case of salivary ductal adenocarcinoma that mimicked a pulpitis and periodontitis in its early presentation accompanied by numbness of chin. The course and diagnosis of this case are discussed, and a brief review of the literature is presented. It is hoped for clinicians to keep the malignant possibility of NCS in mind and take a thorough examination.