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Case Reports
. 2014 Nov 28:2014:bcr2014206377.
doi: 10.1136/bcr-2014-206377.

Paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration associated with serous adenocarcinoma of the ovary

Duaa B Saeed  1 , Limci Gupta  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration associated with serous adenocarcinoma of the ovary

Duaa B Saeed et al. BMJ Case Rep. .

Abstract

We report a case of a 68-year-old woman who presented with symptoms of cerebellar degeneration which initiated a suspicion of underlying malignancy. The patient presented with progressive ataxia and dysarthria and after excluding primary cerebellar pathology, paraneoplastic syndrome was suspected and she was investigated for a malignancy. CT scan of the pelvis showed a left-sided ovarian mass later diagnosed as serous adenocarcinoma of the ovary. She underwent surgery and histology of the mass showed poorly-differentiated serous adenocarcinoma. Paraneoplastic neurological syndrome encompasses several neurological disorders including paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration (PCD) caused by an immune-mediated mechanism in patients with an underlying malignancy. PCD is a rare condition that occurs in less than 1% of patients with cancer and is associated with specific groups of cancer. It is important to identify PCD due to its association with certain cancers and also to limit the disabilities associated with the syndrome.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Poorly-differentiated serous adenocarcinoma of the ovary with abundant necrosis (×4 magnification).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Poorly-differentiated serous adenocarcinoma of the ovary with abundant necrosis (×10 magnification).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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