UICC World Cancer Congress 2006

Objective:Paraneoplastic neurological syndromes (PNS) are a heterogenous group of neurological disorders, that cannot be ascribed to the local action of cancer, metastases, infections, vascular disorders, nutritional and metabolic deficits and side effects of cancer treatment. Neurological symptoms in PNS result from a disturbance of the nervous system, with a participation of the immune response triggered by the aberrant expression of the so-called onconeuronal antigens of a tumor.A very important part of PNS diagnostics is the investigation of antineuronal antibodies (ANA) in the serum. Different types of ANA are frequently associated with specific tumors and with specific neurological syndromes.The aim of the study was to investigate serum ANA and to observe PNS in patients with breast cancer

Methods:In 2005 we examined 16 patients with breast cancer suspected to have PNS, hospitalized at Breast Cancer Clinic,Institute of Oncology in Warsaw, Poland.

Results:The immunofluorescence test was positive in 9 patients (56%) and in 3 of them in the WB test clearly positive results were obtained. In 5 patients a very weak reaction was observed and in 1 patient the result of WB was completely negative.The following paraneoplastic neurological syndromes were observed in patients with a positive result of the IF test: cerebellar degeneration, brainstem encephalitis, encephalomyelitis combined with sensory neuropathy, myastenic syndrome, sensory neuropathy, polyneuropathy Guillain-Barre. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis indicates that the investigation of the presence of ANA in the serum may be helpful and valuable in the diagnostics of PNS in patients with breast cancer. The types of ANA correspond with individual paraneoplastic neurological syndromes.