Secondary carcinoma simulating a pulp infection.

Pulp infections are second in frequency to paronychia among infections of the hand (Hamilton Bailey, 1977) Metastatic carcinoma involving the fingers, however, is very rare (Norman and Leventhal, 1966; Martin and Dove, 1983; Schulz and Kearns, 1983). A case is reported to illustrate that a secondary carcinoma from a lung primary can present itself as a pulp infection, with a poor prognosis.