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Onconeural antibodies in patients with neurological symptoms: detection and clinical significance
Author(s) -
Raspotnig M.,
Vedeler C. A.,
Storstein A.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
acta neurologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.967
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1600-0404
pISSN - 0001-6314
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0404.2011.01549.x
Subject(s) - medicine , antibody , cancer , clinical significance , etiology , amphiphysin , antigen , immunology , pathology , receptor , endocytosis , dynamin
Raspotnig M, Vedeler CA, Storstein A. Onconeural antibodies in patients with neurological symptoms: detection and clinical significance.
Acta Neurol Scand: 2011: 124 (Suppl. 191): 83–88.
© 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Background – Onconeural antibodies are strongly associated with cancer and paraneoplastic neurological syndromes (PNS). Most of these antibodies are well‐characterized (antibodies against Hu, Yo, Ri, CRMP5, amphiphysin, Ma2 and Tr) and are in common use for the diagnosis of definite PNS. Materials and methods – Literature on detection and clinical significance of onconeural antibodies were identified by using relevant search terms in PubMed and reviewed. Conclusions – The onconeural antibodies are directed against intracellular antigens and their pathogenic role is still largely unknown. They are highly specific markers of paraneoplastic aetiology in patients with neurological symptoms. Detection of an onconeural antibody in a patient with neurological symptoms should lead to prompt investigation for cancer. However, absence of detectable onconeural antibodies does not exclude the PNS diagnosis. In particular, failure to detect antibodies in patients without classical PNS symptoms may result in less vigorous cancer screening and diagnostic delay. Neuronal antibodies that are directed to synaptic proteins or proteins of the cell membrane are also associated with neurological symptoms, and probably have pathogenic effects. The association between these antibodies and cancer is less robust, and they are usually not included among the onconeural antibodies.