A case of Occult Breast Cancer with Paraneoplastic Polyneuropathy

Abstract

We encountered a very rarc case of occult breast cancer associated with paraneoplastic sensory polyneuropathy. A 59-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital complaining of numbness in all extremities, ataxia of left extremities and a tumor in the left axilla. From the neurological findings, a malignant tumor was suspected. The immunohistochemical analysis of the axillar swollen lymph node revealed metastasis from breast cancer and confirmed the primary lesion. On a preoperative diagnosis of suspected occult breast cancer, left mastectomy and resection of left axillar lymph nodes were performed. Furthermore, immunohistochemical staining of sural nerves and Western blot analysis of the serum of this patient showed the loss of axons and the presence of antineural antibody in the seurm. Immunological response was considered to be the remote effector system between the breast cancer and sensory polyneuropathy in this disorder.

Paraneoplastische Pityriasis rubra pilaris bei metastasiertem Adenokarzinom ohne lokalisierbares Primum

“…Andere Autoren vermuten bei dieser Form der Neuropathie keinen sicheren Zusammenhang zwischen neurologischer Symptomatik und einem Malignom (11). Der Schädi-gungsmechanismus wird in einer Antikörperbildung des Tumors gesehen (zum Beispiel Anti-Hu, Anti-Yo) und tritt in weit über-wiegendem Maße bei Lymphomen und dem kleinzelligen Bronchialkarzinom auf (22,1) ist jedoch in der Literatur auch beim Mammakarzinom beschrieben (7,1,8). Eine Antikörperbestim-mung führten wir jedoch im vorliegenden Fall nicht durch.…”

Paraneoplastic neurological complications of breast cancer

“…The patient was found to have breast cancer and had a left mastectomy and axillary lymph node resection. Sural nerve biopsy was performed and serum analysis detected the presence of an anti-neuronal antibody [36–38]. …”