What are paraneoplastic neurological disorders?
Paraneoplastic neurological disorders (PND’s) are autoimmune diseases that occur in response to the presence of cancer somewhere in the body. The cancer cells in paraneoplastic patients express proteins which are normally only made in the brain. These proteins cause the body’s immune system to produce antibodies in an attempt to suppress the cancer. Unfortunately, these same antibodies can trigger an autoimmune attack on the brain and the body’s neurological systems. Doctors are not yet sure why the immune system reacts the way it does in some patients with cancer, but not in others. What types of cancers are most commonly associated with paraneoplastic disorders? Breast, ovarian and lung tumors are the most common cancers to be associated with PND’s. However, cases of paraneoplastic neurological disorders have also been found in patients with other forms of cancer, including lymphomas, testicular cancer, childhood brain tumors and cancer of the larynx. In about two-thirds of patients,
