Paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration secondary to ovarian carcinosarcoma: a cerebellar conundrum

Abstract

We present a case of an elderly female patient who presented with a 6-month history of progressive slurred speech, vertigo, unsteadiness and falls. She underwent an extensive battery of neurological and cardiovascular investigations, none of which demonstrated a diagnostic cause for her symptoms. She was referred to the stroke and neurology teams and was started on treatment for presumed anxiety. As her symptoms continued to progress, she was referred to the falls service. Following a multidisciplinary team discussion, she was reviewed by the consultant geriatrician who felt this may be due to a malignancy so the consultant geriatrician arranged blood testsand CT scan of her chest, abdomen and pelvis. These demonstrated a large left adnexal mass and a raised Ca-125 level. The patient was diagnosed with an ovarian tumour, which was treated surgically. A provisional diagnosis of paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration, secondary to ovarian carcinosarcoma, was made.

Keywords: brain stem / cerebellum; geriatric medicine; gynecological cancer; movement disorders (other than parkinsons); neurology.