Lung cancer prediction in Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome in a prospective cohort

• Published in: Scientific reports 2020-06, Vol.10 (1), p.10546-10546, Article 10546
• Main Authors: Maddison, Paul, Lipka, Alexander F., Gozzard, Paul, Sadalage, Girija, Ambrose, Philip A., Lang, Bethan, Verschuuren, Jan J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 692/4028; 692/617; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Cancer screening; Child; Early Detection of Cancer; Female; Health risk assessment; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome; Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome - complications; Lung cancer; Lung Neoplasms - diagnosis; Lung Neoplasms - etiology; Male; Medical screening; Middle Aged; multidisciplinary; Neuromuscular junctions; Predictions; Prospective Studies; Risk Factors; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Small cell lung carcinoma; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma - diagnosis; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma - etiology; Tobacco; Tumors; Young Adult
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-67571-9

To evaluate the Dutch-English Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome (LEMS) Tumour Association Prediction (DELTA-P) score in a prospective cohort of patients with newly diagnosed LEMS to assess the clinical validity of this tool in a real-world setting. Clinical features from 87 patients with LEMS, occurring within three months from disease onset, were collated to produce a DELTA-P score for each patient. Lung cancer was detected in 44/87 (51%) LEMS patients. Weight loss ≥ 5%, tobacco use at LEMS onset and age at onset ≥ 50 years were independent predictors for the development of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) in LEMS patients in multivariable analysis. Median DELTA-P scores were significantly higher in SCLC-LEMS patients (3.5, 95% CI 3 to 4) compared to non-tumour-LEMS (2, 95% CI 1 to 2) (P