Immunophenotypical characterization of paraneoplastic neurological syndrome patients: a multicentric study

• Published in: Journal of biosciences Vol. 46; no. 1
• Main Authors: Lorusso, Lorenzo, Precone, Vincenza, Hart, Ian K, Giometto, Bruno, Pezzani, Raffaele, Ngonga, Gaelle K, Paolacci, Stefano, Ferrari, Daniela, Ricevuti, Giovanni, Marshall, Ernie, Bertelli, Matteo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New Delhi Springer India 01.12.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Antibodies; Autoantibodies; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cancer; Cell Biology; Cerebellum; Diagnosis; Life Sciences; Medical diagnosis; Microbiology; Nervous system; Neurological diseases; Neurological disorders; Peripheral nervous system; Plant Sciences; Population studies; Signs and symptoms; Symptoms; Zoology; immunophenotypical characterization; cancer; Autoantibodies; paraneoplastic neurological syndromes
• ISSN: 0250-5991; 0973-7138
• DOI: 10.1007/s12038-020-00128-0

Paraneoplastic neurological syndromes (PNS) are a group of rare and severe immune-mediated disorders that affect the nervous system in patients with cancer. The best way to diagnose a paraneoplastic neurological disorder is to identify anti-onconeural protein antibodies that are specifically associated with various cancers. The aim of this multicentric study was to clinically and immunologically characterize patients with PNS and study their association with cancer. Patients suspected to have PNS were enrolled from various clinical centres and were characterized immunologically. This study population consisted of 112 patients. Onset of PNS was mainly subacute (76%). PNS patients had various neurological disorders and symptoms. PNS developed before the diagnosis of cancer in 28 definite PNS patients and in six suspected PNS patients. The most frequent autoantibodies detected in PNS patients were anti-Hu and anti-Yo. One definite PNS patient with cerebellar syndrome had anti-Tr antibody and seven patients had atypical antibodies. The literature associates these antibodies with various neurological disorders and cancers. Our observations confirm the important role of autoantibodies in PNS and their importance for the early diagnosis of cancer in PNS patients.