Re: paraneoplastic syndrome

Posted By CCF Neuro MD *!* on December 15, 1997 at 19:19:51:

In Reply to: paraneoplastic syndrome posted by Cherrille Mashore on December 15, 1997 at 18:17:52:







: 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.

[snolep]

A related discussion, paraneoplastic syndrome was started.