Anti-Yo-Associated Paraneoplastic Cerebellar Degeneration in a Man with Adenocarcinoma of the Gastroesophageal Junction

Abstract

Anti-Yo-associated paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration is a cancer-related syndrome affecting the nervous system. This syndrome occurs almost exclusively in middle-aged women with gynecological cancers and it is rarerly found in patients with other types of cancer or in males. In this report we describe a male patient adenocarcinoma of the gastroesophageal junction and PCD with anti-Yo antibodies. To our knowledge, this is only the third report of PCD with positive anti-Yo antibodies in an esophageal tumor and the first report in a tumor of the gastroesophageal junction.

Deterioration of anti-Yo-associated paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration

“…More rarely it is associated with breast cancer [5], gastrointestinal adenocarcinoma [3,6], or prostatic adenocarcinoma [7]. Neuropathologically, the cerebellum is devoid of Purkinje cells, usually without any apparent sign of inflammation, being in contrast to Hu-related paraneoplastic syndromes, such as paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis (PEM), limbic encephalitis, or brainstem encephalitis, in which inflammation is the neuropathological hallmark.…”

“…PCD usually occurs in middle-aged women [2,6,13] and involves all cerebellar functions. Accordingly, it presents as limb, trunk, stance, or gait ataxia, dysarthria, or optomotor dysfunction.…”

Association between autoimmune disease and cutaneous melanoma with regard to melanoma prognosis

“…Although the development of MM has been linked to patient immunosuppression, few reports to date have described the appearance of MM in subjects with autoimmune disorders and, to our knowledge, existing reports have usually described only individual associations between single autoimmune diseases and MM . Many authors have described these cases as associated diseases, whereas only very few reports have reported patients with both MM and ‘paraneoplastic’ autoimmune disease, namely, dermatomyositis and cerebellar degeneration …”

“…patients with both MM and 'paraneoplastic' autoimmune disease, namely, dermatomyositis and cerebellar degeneration. [13][14][15][16][17][18] In 2007, Kaae et al 2 evaluated the effect of six different autoimmune diseases on the incidence and prognosis of MM, and did not find any influence of previous autoimmune disease on MM prognosis in their study. Other groups have also investigated correlations between autoimmune disease and MM, and have found either a negative effect or no significant effect on MM prognosis.…”

Paraneoplastic neurological syndromes in patients with carcinoid

“…Two patients have been reported, in whom the tumour developed more than 4 years (4.5 and 10 years respectively) after the anti‐Yo antibody was detected [24]. However, most of the described cases of non‐gynaecological tumours associated with anti‐Yo antibodies are located in the gastro‐intestinal system [25–30].…”