Abstract

GAZQUEZ SISTERE, I. et al. Praneoplastic cerebellar degeneration as a presentation of breast cancer recurrence. An. Med. Interna (Madrid) [online]. 2007, vol.24, n.3, pp.132-134. ISSN 0212-7199.

Paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration (PCD) is a rare condition which is characterised by global cerebellar dysfunction. Patients may present with these syndromes months or years before the diagnosis of underlying malignancy is established. Less often, PCD occurs in patients with a known malignancy or heralds the onset of a recurrence. The presence of specific antibodies in serum simples helps to guide identification the occult malignancy. We report here the case of a PCD in 74-year-old lady underwent a left mastectomy for breast cancer 5 years ago. She remained well until now. The diagnosis of the primary tumor, that is clinically undetectable with conventional imaging processes, is preformed with the aid of positron mission tomography (PET) to detect the presence of abdominal lymph node metastases. We briefly review the clinical and laboratory features of this syndrome, and emphasize the importance of its prompt recognition, which many times makes possible the early detection and treatment of the primary disorder.

Keywords : Paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration; Breast cancer; Antineuronal antibodies.

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