This MedLibrary.org supplementary page on Paraneoplastic is provided directly from the open source Wikipedia as a service to our readers. Please see the note below on authorship of this content, as well as the Wikipedia usage guidelines. To search for other content from our encyclopedia supplement, please use the form below:
Related Sponsors
| Paraneoplastic syndrome Classification and external resources |
|
| DiseasesDB | 2064 |
|---|---|
| eMedicine | med/1747 |
| MeSH | D010257 |
A paraneoplastic syndrome is a disease or symptom that is the consequence of the presence of cancer in the body, but is not due to the local presence of cancer cells. These phenomena are mediated by humoral factors (by hormones or cytokines) excreted by tumor cells or by an immune response against the tumor. Paraneoplastic syndromes are typical among middle aged to older patients and they most commonly present with cancers of the lung, breast, ovaries or lymphatic system (a lymphoma).1 Sometimes the symptoms of paraneoplastic syndromes show even before the diagnosis of a malignancy.
Contents |
Classification
Paraneoplastic syndromes can be divided into 4 main categories:
- Mucocutaneous paraneoplastic syndromes 2
- Dermatomyositis (25-50% of adult patients have an underlying malignancy)
- Leser-Trélat sign, a sudden onset of many pigmented skin lesions
- Acanthosis nigricans
- Necrolytic migratory erythema
- Sweet's syndrome
- Pyoderma gangrenosum
- Neurological paraneoplastic syndromes 3
- Paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration associated with lung, ovarian, breast, lymphatic, and other cancers
- Encephalomyelitis (inflammation of the brain and spinal cord)
- Limbic encephalitis
- Brainstem encephalitis
- Opsoclonus (involving eye movement)
- Encephalitis triggered by a teratoma4
- Polymyositis
- Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS) in small-cell lung cancer
- Hematological paraneoplastic syndromes 5
- Granulocytosis (increased granulocytes) due to the production of G-CSF
- Endocrine metabolic syndromes6
- Hypercalcemia in breast cancer and lung cancer (typically squamous cell) due to the production of PTHrP (Parathyroid hormone-related protein)
- SIADH associated w/ lung and CNS malignancies, typically small cell.
- Ectopic ACTH secretion associated with small-cell lung cancer, carcinoid tumor, thymoma and other cancers
- Others that may not fit into any of the above categories include:
Neurological
A particularly devastating form of paraneoplastic syndromes is a group of disorders classified as paraneoplastic neurological disorders (PNDs).7 These paraneoplastic disorders affect the central or peripheral nervous system and they are degenerative.8 Symptoms of paraneoplastic neurological disorders may include ataxia (difficulty with walking and balance), dizziness, nystagmus (rapid uncontrolled eye movements), difficulty swallowing, loss of muscle tone, loss of fine motor coordination, slurred speech, memory loss, vision problems, sleep disturbances, dementia, seizures, sensory loss in the limbs.
The most common cancers associated with paraneoplastic neurological disorders are breast, ovarian and lung cancer, but many other cancers have been linked to PNDs as well.
Treatment options include:
- Therapies to eliminate the underlying cancer such as chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, and
- Therapies to reduce or slow neurological degeneration. Rapid diagnosis and treatment is critical for the patient to have the best chance of recovery. Since these disorders are relatively rare, few doctors have seen or treated PNDs. Therefore, it is important that PND patients consult with a specialist with experience in diagnosing and treating paraneoplastic neurological disorders.
Organizations
The International Paraneoplastic Association (IPA) is an organization dedicated to providing support and information to those affected by paraneoplastic neurological disorders.
References
- ^ NINDS Paraneoplastic Syndromes Information Page National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
- ^ Cohen PR, Kurzrock R (1997). "Mucocutaneous paraneoplastic syndromes". Semin. Oncol. 24 (3): 334–59. PMID 9208889.
- ^ MeSH Nervous+system+paraneoplastic+syndromes
- ^ Dalmau J, Tüzün E, Wu HY, et al (January 2007). "Paraneoplastic anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis associated with ovarian teratoma". Ann. Neurol. 61 (1): 25–36. doi:. PMID 17262855.
- ^ Staszewski H (1997). "Hematological paraneoplastic syndromes". Semin. Oncol. 24 (3): 329–33. PMID 9208888.
- ^ MeSH Paraneoplastic+endocrine+syndromes
- ^ Rees JH (2004). "Paraneoplastic syndromes: when to suspect, how to confirm, and how to manage". J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. 75 Suppl 2: ii43–50. PMID 15146039.
- ^ Darnell RB, Posner JB (2006). "Paraneoplastic syndromes affecting the nervous system". Semin Oncol 33 (3): 270–98. doi:. PMID 16769417.
External links
- Neuroimmunology, The Medical School, Birmingham University - Paraneoplastic neurological autoantibodies, Birmingham UK
- Rockefeller University clinical research laboratory devoted to the paraneoplastic neurologic disorders
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 10 November 2008, at 21:07.
Wikipedia Authorship and Review
Wikipedia content provided here is not reviewed directly by MedLibrary.org. Wikipedia content is authored by an open community of volunteers and is not produced by or in any way affiliated with MedLibrary.org.
Wikipedia Usage Guidelines
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on "Paraneoplastic".
The URL for this specific entry is:
All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details). Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.