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Anticerebellar antibodies in serum and cerebrospinal fluid of a patient with oat cell carcinoma of the lung and paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration
Author(s) -
Greenlee John E.,
Lipton Howard L.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
annals of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.764
H-Index - 296
eISSN - 1531-8249
pISSN - 0364-5134
DOI - 10.1002/ana.410190117
Subject(s) - cerebrospinal fluid , paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration , cerebellar degeneration , pathology , plasmapheresis , medicine , antibody , lung , central nervous system , csf albumin , cerebellum , immunology , autoantibody
A 56‐year‐old man was seen with subacute cerebellar degeneration and was found to have oat cell carcinoma of the lung. Antibodies to cerebellar Purkinje cells and granule cells were detected in both serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and intrathecal antibody synthesis was suggested by serum CSF antibody ratios, CSF IgG index, and CSF IgG synthesis rate. The patient's condition improved slightly with plasmapheresis, corticosteroids, and therapy of his underlying tumor, but he continued to exhibit a severe cerebellar deficit until his death more than one year later. Paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration may be accompanied by synthesis of anticerebellar antibodies, both systemically and within the central nervous system.