Questions posted in the
Neurology and Neurosurgery Forum have been answered by doctors from The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
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Subject: Re: paraneoplastic syndrome : Could you explain paraneoplastic syndrome, & why, after removal of cancer 10 yrs. ago, I still have PN?
= Paraneoplastic syndromes are a group of disorders in which a tumor has effects remote from its location in the body without the involvement of secondary cancers. The most common effect of cancer is that tumor cells for example in the lung , travel in the blood to the lung or liver and cause a disruption by their physical presence. In paraneoplastic disorders the body produces proteins called antibodies which fight the tumor by binding to and destroying tumor cells, unfortunately in some cases these antibodies cross-react with normal tissues and destroy them, if this tissue happens to be peripheral nerve a peripheral neuropathy results. This process can involve various parts of the brain from the cerebellum , causing unsteady gait, to the limbic lobes , causing memory loss to peripheral nerves. Since a paraneoplastic syndrome causes damage to the tissue recovery depends on that tissues potential for recovery, since nerve cells heal very poorly recovery is unusual in neurological paraneoplastic disease. Generally the best one can expect is that the condition stops progressing, not that dramatic recovery will result. This information is provided for genera l medical education purposes only. Please consult your physician for diagnostic and treatment options of your specific medical condition. | |
