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Encyclopedia > Paraneoplastic phenomenon
Paraneoplastic phenomenon
Classification & external resources
DiseasesDB 2064
eMedicine med/1747 

A paraneoplastic phenomenon is a disease or symptom that is the consequence of the presence of cancer in the body, but is not due to the local presence of cancer cells. These phenomena are mediated by humoral factors (by hormones or cytokines) excreted by tumor cells or by an immune response against the tumor. Sometimes the symptoms of paraneoplastic syndromes show even before the diagnosis of a malignancy. The Disease Bold textDatabase is a free website that provides information about the relationships between medical conditions, symptoms, and medications. ... eMedicine is an online clinical medical knowledge base that was founded in 1996. ... The term disease refers to an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs function. ... The term symptom (from the Greek meaning chance, mishap or casualty, itself derived from συμπιπτω meaning to fall upon or to happen to) has two similar meanings in the context of physical and mental health: Strictly, a symptom is a sensation or change in health function experienced by a patient. ... Cancer is a class of diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these to spread, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion, or by implantation into distant sites by metastasis (where cancer cells are transported through the bloodstream or lymphatic system). ... Hormone is also the NATO reporting name for the Soviet/Russian Kamov Ka-25 military helicopter. ... Cytokines are small protein molecules that are the core of communication between immune system cells, and even between immune system cells and cells belonging to other tissue types. ... When normal cells are damaged or old they undergo apoptosis; cancer cells, however, avoid apoptosis. ...


Paraneoplastic syndromes can be divided into 4 main categories: mucocutane paraneoplastic syndromes, neurological paraneoplastic syndromes, haematological paraneoplastic syndromes and endocrine metabolic syndromes.

Contents

Examples

Examples of paraneoplastic phenomena:

Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS) is a rare disorder of nerve-muscle (neuromuscular) junction. ... Lung cancer is the malignant transformation and expansion of lung tissue, and is the most lethal of all cancers worldwide, responsible for 1. ... Hypercalcaemia is an elevated calcium level in the blood. ... Breast cancer is cancer of breast tissue. ... Lung cancer is the malignant transformation and expansion of lung tissue, and is the most lethal of all cancers worldwide, responsible for 1. ... Parathyroid hormone-related protein (or PTHrP) is a protein occasionally secreted by cancer cells (breast cancer, certain types of lung cancer). ... Paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration is a paraneoplastic phenomenon associated with lung, ovarian, breast, and other cancers. ... In medicine, granulocytosis is the presence in peripheral blood of an increased number of granulocytes, a category of white blood cells. ... Eosinophil granulocyte Basophil granulocyte Granulocytes are a category of white blood cells characterised by the presence of granules in their cytoplasm. ... Insert non-formatted text hereGranulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor (G-CSF) is a glycoprotein, growth factor or cytokine produced by a number of different tissues to stimulate the bone marrow to produce granulocytes. ... X-Ray of the knee in a patient with dermatomyositis. ... {{ }} Polymyositis is a type of inflammatory myopathy, related to dermatomyositis and inclusion body myositis. ... First described by Moersch and Woltman at the Mayo Clinic in 1956, stiff person syndrome (SPS) is a rare neurologic disorder of unknown etiology. ... Encephalomyelitis is a general term for inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, describing a number of disorders: acute disseminated encephalomyelitis or postinfectious encephalomyelitis, a demyelinating disease of the brain and spinal cord, possibly triggered by vaccination or viral infection; encephalomyelitis disseminata, a synonym for multiple sclerosis; equine encephalomyelitis, a... Myasthenia gravis (sometimes abbreviated MG; from the Greek myastheneia, lit. ... Neuromyotonia is spontaneous muscular activity resulting from repetitive motor unit action potentials of peripheral origin. ... Opsoclonus refers to a uncontrolled movement of the eyes. ... Neuropathy, strictly speaking, is any disease that affects the nervous system. ... The syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) is a condition commonly found in the hospital population, especially in patients being hospitalized for central nervous system (CNS) injury. ... Membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN), also known as membranous nephropathy is a slowly progressive disease affecting mostly patients between ages of 30 and 50 years. ... The sign of Leser-Trelat, the explosive onset of multiple pruritic seborrheic keratoses, often with an inflammatory base, can be an ominous sign of internal malignancy. ...

Neurological

A particularly devastating form of paraneoplastic syndromes is a group of disorders classified as paraneoplastic neurological disorders (PNDs). These paraneoplastic disorders affect the brain and central nervous system and they are degenerative. Symptoms of paraneoplastic neurological disorders include ataxia (difficulty with walking and balance), dizziness, nystagmus (rapid uncontrolled eye movements), difficulty swallowing, loss of muscle tone, loss of fine motor coordination, slurred speech, memory loss, vision problems, sleep disturbances, dementia, seizures, sensory loss in the limbs. Ataxia (from Greek ataxiā, meaning failure to put in order) is unsteady and clumsy motion of the limbs or torso due to a failure of the gross coordination of muscle movements. ... // Pre-syncope is a sensation of feeling faint. ... Nystagmus is rapid involuntary rhythmic eye movement, with the eyes moving quickly in one direction (quick phase), and then slowly in the other (slow phase). ... For other uses, see Dementia (disambiguation). ... This article is about the medical condition. ...


The most common cancers associated with paraneoplastic neurological disorders are breast, ovarian and lung cancer, but many other cancers have been linked to PNDs as well. Breast cancer is cancer of breast tissue. ... Ovarian cancer is a malignant ovarian neoplasm (an abnormal growth located on the ovaries). ... Lung cancer is the malignant transformation and expansion of lung tissue, and is the most lethal of all cancers worldwide, responsible for 1. ...


Treatment options include:

  1. Therapies to eliminate the underlying cancer such as chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, and
  2. Therapies to reduce or slow neurological degeneration. Rapid diagnosis and treatment is critical for the patient to have the best chance of recovery. Since these disorders are relatively rare, few doctors have seen or treated PNDs. Therefore, it is important that PND patients consult with a specialist with experience in diagnosing and treating paraneoplastic neurological disorders.

Organisations

The International Paraneoplastic Association (IPA) is an organization dedicated to providing support and information to those affected by paraneoplastic neurological disorders.


External links

  • http://www.antibodypatterns.com/hu.php

  Results from FactBites:
 
Neoplasia Essays (917 words)
These syndromes may occur in up to 10 to 15% of malignancies, and they may be the first or most prominent manifestation that the patient suffers, or may help in detection of the malignancy by laboratory testing for a substance secreted by the neoplasm.
The cause of the paraneoplastic syndrome may be due to the production and release of physiologically active substances, or it may be idiopathic.
The carcinoid syndrome is a paraneoplastic phenomenon caused by neoplasms of the neuroendocrine cells, often in the gastrointestinal tract.
Paraneoplastic phenomenon (253 words)
A paraneoplastic phenomenon is a disease or symptom that is the consequence of the presence of cancer in the body, but is not due to the local presence of cancer cells.
A particularly devastating form of paraneoplastic syndromes is a group of disorders classified as paraneoplastic neurological disorders (PNDs).
Therefore, it is important that PND patients consult with a specialist with experience in diagnosing and treating paraneoplastic neurological disorders.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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