Paraneoplastic arthritides: an up-to-date case-based systematic review

Abstract

Among the rheumatic diseases whose symptoms are more often associated with the possibility of cancer and other malignancies are systemic sclerosis, dermatomyositis and rheumatic polymyalgia. However, a differential diagnosis should be performed in each case of non-typical rheumatic disease and/or other neoplastic disease risk factors. The article's aim was based on a literature review of this subject and presentation own a case description and discussion about arthritis as a paraneoplastic syndrome. The conclusions of our analysis were as follows: more often paraneoplastic arthritis occurs in men, in ages higher than 50 years old, in patients who poorly respond to treatment of arthritis with polyarticular symmetrical involvement of the limbs, seronegative type of inflammatory joint disease. In this group of patients, complete remission after treatment of the primary tumor and recurrence of the symptoms in the presence of metastasis was observed.

Keywords: neoplasia; paraneoplastic arthritides; psoriatic arthritis; rheumatoid arthritis.

Fig. 1

Magnetic resonance T2-weighted sequences revealing mid-carpal and radio-carpal joint effusion as well as extensor tendons sheaths tenosynovitis of the right wrist.

Fig. 2

Magnetic resonance T2-weighted images showing BME of C1–C5 as well as synovitis of C1–C2.