Trigeminal perineural spread of renal cell carcinoma

Abstract

A 55-year-old man had a five-day history of "pins and needles" sensation on the left chin. Examination showed decreased pinprick sensation on the territory of the left mandibular branch of the trigeminal nerve. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with gadolinium showed enhancement involving the left mandibular branch (Fig 1). Computed tomography (CT) of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis showed a left kidney mass (Fig 2) diagnosed as renal carcinoma following nephrectomy.The "numb-chin" syndrome heralds or accompanies systemic malignancies 1 . Trigeminal perineural spread has been well-documented in head and neck neoplasms 2 , however, to our knowledge, it has not been reported in renal neoplasms.