Paraneoplastic syndromes of the spinal cord, nerve, and muscle

• Published in: Muscle & nerve 2000-12, Vol.23 (12), p.1800-1818
• Main Authors: Rudnicki, Stacy A., Dalmau, Josep
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Diseases of striated muscles. Neuromuscular diseases; Humans; Medical sciences; Muscular Diseases - classification; Muscular Diseases - pathology; Muscular Diseases - physiopathology; myelopathy; myopathy; Neurology; neuropathy; paraneoplastic; Paraneoplastic Syndromes - classification; Paraneoplastic Syndromes - pathology; Paraneoplastic Syndromes - physiopathology; Paraneoplastic Syndromes, Nervous System - classification; Paraneoplastic Syndromes, Nervous System - pathology; Paraneoplastic Syndromes, Nervous System - physiopathology; Spinal Cord Diseases - classification; Spinal Cord Diseases - pathology; Spinal Cord Diseases - physiopathology
• ISSN: 0148-639X; 1097-4598
• DOI: 10.1002/1097-4598(200012)23:12<1800::AID-MUS3>3.0.CO;2-X

Cancer can affect the peripheral nervous system by non‐metastatic, sometimes immune‐mediated mechanisms. Recognition of these paraneoplastic syndromes is important because it can lead to the detection of the tumor, and also helps to avoid unnecessary studies to determine the cause of the neurologic symptoms in patients with cancer. Many paraneoplastic syndromes of the peripheral nervous system are not associated with serum antibodies that serve as markers of paraneoplasia. For this group of disorders the diagnosis depends on the clinician's index of suspicion and conventional electrophysiologic and laboratory tests. Treatment of the tumor, immunotherapy, or both may improve some of these syndromes. This review focuses on paraneoplastic syndromes of the spinal cord, peripheral nerve, and muscle. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Muscle Nerve 23: 1800–1818, 2000