Paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis/sensory motor peripheral neuropathy - an autopsy case study

Abstract

Paraneoplastic neurological anti-Hu syndrome is one of the most frequent remote effects of cancer and usually manifests as encephalomyelitis combined with peripheral neuropathy. Subacute sensory neuronopathy, which results from the inflammatory destruction of sensory neurone cell bodies in the dorsal root ganglia, is thought to be the principal presentation of peripheral neuropathy. In addition to sensory involvement, evidence of motor nerve involvement is frequently found. The mechanisms of motor involvement remain largely unclear and there have been only a limited number of pathological studies. We present an autopsy case study of anti-Hu paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis/sensory-motor neuropathy, which confirms an inflammatory paraneoplastic destruction of sensory neuron cell bodies in the dorsal root ganglia and lower motor neurons in the spinal cord, as a cause of clinically rapidly progressive peripheral sensory-motor neuropathy.