ABSTRACT
There is increasing evidence that many paraneoplastic neurologic syndromes are immune-mediated.
Because symptoms usually have an acute onset and precede the tumor diagnosis, the
recognition of a neurologic disorder as a paraneoplastic syndrome is challenging.
The poor response to treatment of many paraneoplastic neurologic syndromes has been
attributed to the early, irreversible pathological changes involving the nervous system.
This may account for the more frequent responses to therapy of some paraneoplastic
neurologic syndromes affecting the peripheral nerves and neuromuscular junction compared
with those that produce neuronal degeneration. This review focuses on the current
therapeutic approaches to immune-mediated paraneoplastic neurologic syndromes, including
prompt recognition of the disorder, detection and treatment of the associated tumor,
and, in some disorders, immunosuppressive therapy.
KEYWORDS
Paraneoplastic neurologic syndromes