Paraneoplastic Neurological Disorders

Paraneoplastic neurological disorders (PNDs) are estimated to affect approximately 0.01% of all patients with cancer. The majority of PNDs are thought to be the byproduct of immune-mediated processes directed against tumor-related antigens, processes which are sometimes effective against a systemic cancer. The inciting cancer is often asymptomatic or occult, with patients presenting to the neurologist with a variety of neurological symptoms and signs depending on the area(s) of the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous system involved. The diagnosis of a PND is reserved for patients with histologically proven cancer; however, clinical presentation and diagnostic test results may make the diagnosis of a PND highly probable in the absence of the diagnosis of a cancer.