Paraneoplastic syndromes Archives

Tag: Paraneoplastic syndromes

Paraneoplastic syndromes are a group of rare disorders that are triggered by an abnormal immune system response to a cancerous tumour known as a “neoplasm.” Paraneoplastic syndromes are thought to happen when cancer-fighting antibodies or white blood cells (known as T cells) mistakenly attack normal cells in the nervous system. These disorders typically affect middle-aged to older people and are most common in individuals with lung, ovarian, lymphatic, or breast cancer. Neurologic symptoms generally develop over a period of days to weeks and usually occur prior to the tumor being discovered. These symptoms may include difficulty in walking or 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, and vertigo or dizziness. Paraneoplastic syndromes include Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome, stiff-person syndrome, encephalomyelitis, myasthenia gravis, cerebellar degeneration, limbic or brainstem encephalitis, neuromyotonia, opsoclonus, and sensory neuropathy.

There’s a paper from 2010 which has outlined some of these issues in relation to NETs (Neuroendocrine Neoplasms).

28 Jul 2020

By Ronny Allan

3 Comments

Paraneoplastic Syndromes – the NET Effect

Patient Advocacy, Survivorship, The NET Effect SeriesAcromegaly, Cushing's syndrome, Ectopic Cushing’s syndrome (ECS), Hypercalcemia, Hyperglycemia, Hypoglycemia, Neurologic paraneoplastic syndromes, Paraneoplastic syndromes, Syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH)

Although several hypotheses have been proposed regarding the pathogenesis of Paraneoplastic Syndromes (PNS), the precise mechanism that leads to the development of PNS remains largely unknown. In simple terms, pathogenesis means "the manner of development of a disease". Disclaimer. I read widely and noted various papers where there was clearly confusion about the classification of paraneoplastic in relation to Neuroendocrine Neoplasms. Some papers grouped known Neuroendocrine Tumour hormonal syndromes in, but others were more specific by filtering these into ectopic scenarios. I eventually filtered out papers based on the expertise of the authors and the common threads running in each…