Paraneoplastic Cerebellar Degeneration Workup

  • Author: Abbas Mehdi, MD; Chief Editor: Stephen A Berman, MD, PhD, MBA   more...
 
Updated: Feb 3, 2012
 

Laboratory Studies

  • Consider a diagnosis of paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration in patients who present with acute or subacute cerebellar degeneration and no risk factors for cerebellar disorders (eg, stroke, alcoholism, primary or metastatic neoplasms in the cerebellum, treatment with chemotherapeutic agents).
  • Once a diagnosis of paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration is made, a thorough search for an underlying malignancy is warranted. Analysis of samples of serum and CSF for autoantibodies helps to determine the underlying primary malignancy.
  • Diagnosis and treatment of paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration is important because the disability caused by the paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration is severe; correct diagnosis can lead to early discovery of an occult tumor with chances of being cured.
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Imaging Studies

  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings are normal early in the course of paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration but can show cerebellar atrophy in advanced cases.
  • MRI of the brain with contrast is recommended to exclude any structural, demyelinating, vascular, or infectious causes. See the image below. MRI of a 29-year-old female with ARCA1. Sagittal TMRI of a 29-year-old female with ARCA1. Sagittal T1 shows marked diffuse cerebellar atrophy with no atrophy of the cerebral cortex, midbrain, pons, or medulla. Image from National Institutes of Health.
  • In paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration with anti-Yo antibodies, perform radiography of the chest, mammography, and CT of the abdomen or chest to identify the primary malignancy.
  • In paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration with anti-Hu antibodies, perform radiography and CT of the chest to identify a likely small-cell lung cancer. Also investigate other organs where small-cell cancers present, such as the cervix, esophagus, and prostate.
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Other Tests

  • In addition to the imaging studies listed above, a thorough gynecologic examination should be performed in patients with paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration with anti-Yo antibodies to identify the primary malignancy.
  • CSF samples demonstrate mononuclear pleocytosis, elevated protein levels (immunoglobulin G), and oligoclonal bands. These findings may normalize late in the course of the illness. Evaluate CSF for antineuronal autoantibodies. Anti-Yo and Anti-Tr antibodies have the highest specificity for cerebellar dysfunction.
  • Whole body fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) is useful in demonstrating occult neoplasms or small metastatic lesions.

See the image below for an illustration of the workup of paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration.

The workup of paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneratiThe workup of paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration.
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Procedures

  • If the initial workup of a patient who has paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration with anti-Yo antibodies is nonrevealing, the usual next step is a total abdominal hysterectomy and a bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy in postmenopausal women. If histologic examination reveals no malignancy and/or the patients are men or premenopausal women, periodic surveillance is necessary. At times, the primary malignancy is discovered up to 2 years after the initial onset of paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration.
  • Perform tumor resection.
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Histologic Findings

The hallmark of paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration is severe loss of Purkinje cells diffusely throughout the cerebellar cortex. These cells are completely absent on specimens. Other cell loss is observed but is rare. Occasionally, Purkinje cell loss is patchy. Inflammatory changes are also observed with lymphocytic infiltration. Atrophy of the granular and molecular layers is demonstrated, with microglial proliferation and astrocytosis but relative sparing of basket cells. The deep cerebellar nuclei and the cerebellar connections to the brain stem are normal. Patients with APCA-1/anti-Yo antibody tend to demonstrate more inflammatory changes and characteristic immunofluorescence patterns with coarse granular staining of Purkinje cell cytoplasm as well as proximal axons and dendrites; nuclei and systemic tissues are not stained. In paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration associated with anti-Hu, the cortical and cerebellar neuronal nuclei are stained.

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Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

Abbas Mehdi, MD  Director, MDA Center of Central California; Consulting Staff, Department of Neurology, California Neurological Center, Inc

Abbas Mehdi, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Neurology, American Epilepsy Society, and American Medical Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

David Y Ko, MD  Associate Professor of Clinical Neurology, Associate Director, USC Adult Epilepsy Program, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California

David Y Ko, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Neurology, American Clinical Neurophysiology Society, American Epilepsy Society, and American Headache Society

Disclosure: GSK Honoraria Speaking and teaching; UCB Honoraria Speaking and teaching; Lundbeck Consulting fee Consulting; Westward Consulting fee Consulting

Specialty Editor Board

Frederick M Vincent Sr, MD  Clinical Professor, Department of Neurology and Ophthalmology, Michigan State University Colleges of Human and Osteopathic Medicine

Frederick M Vincent Sr, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Neurology, American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine, American College of Forensic Examiners, American College of Legal Medicine, American College of Physicians, and Michigan State Medical Society

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD  Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference

Disclosure: Medscape Salary Employment

Jorge C Kattah, MD  Head, Associate Program Director, Professor, Department of Neurology, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria

Jorge C Kattah, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Neurology, American Neurological Association, and New York Academy of Sciences

Disclosure: Biogen Honoraria Consulting; Bayer Corporation Honoraria Consulting

Selim R Benbadis, MD  Professor, Director of Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Tampa General Hospital, University of South Florida College of Medicine

Selim R Benbadis, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Neurology, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, American Clinical Neurophysiology Society, American Epilepsy Society, and American Medical Association

Disclosure: UCB Pharma Honoraria Speaking, consulting; Lundbeck Honoraria Speaking, consulting; Cyberonics Honoraria Speaking, consulting; Glaxo Smith Kline Honoraria Speaking, consulting; Pfizer Honoraria Speaking, consulting; Sleepmed/DigiTrace Honoraria Speaking, consulting

Chief Editor

Stephen A Berman, MD, PhD, MBA  Professor of Neurology, University of Central Florida College of Medicine

Stephen A Berman, MD, PhD, MBA is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Neurology, and Phi Beta Kappa

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

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The workup of paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration.
MRI of a 29-year-old female with ARCA1. Sagittal T1 shows marked diffuse cerebellar atrophy with no atrophy of the cerebral cortex, midbrain, pons, or medulla. Image from National Institutes of Health.
Table. Antibodies Associated With Paraneoplastic Cerebellar Degeneration* (Adapted from Dalmau et al[22] )
Antibodies Predominantly Associated With PCDPredominant SyndromeAssociated Cancer
Anti-Yo (PCA-1) antibodiesPCDOvarian



Breast cancers



Anti-Tr antibodiesPCDHodgkin's lymphoma
Anti-mGluR1 antibodies**PCDHodgkin's lymphoma
Anti-Zic4 antibodies†PCDSmall-cell lung cancer
Sometimes Associated With PCD
Anti-VGCC antibodiesEaton-Lambert syndrome, PCDSmall-cell lung cancer



Lymphoma



Anti-Hu (ANNA-1) antibodiesEncephalomyelitis, PCD, sensory neuronopathySmall-cell lung cancer



Other cancers



Anti-Ri (ANNA-2) antibodiesPCD, brain-stem encephalitis, paraneoplastic opsoclonus-myoclonusBreast cancer



Gynecologic cancer



Small-cell lung cancer



Anti-CV2/CRMPS antibodiesEncephalomyelitis, PCD, chorea, peripheral neuropathy, uveitisSmall-cell lung cancer



Thymoma



Other cancers



Anti-Ma protein antibodies‡Limbic, hypothalamic, brain-stem encephalitis (infrequently PCD)Testicular cancer



Lung cancer



Other cancers



Anti-amphiphysin antibodiesStiff-person syndrome, encephalomyelitis, PCDBreast cancer



Small-cell lung cancer



*There is no uniform nomenclature for some of these antibodies; variant names appear in parentheses. mGluR1: metabotropic glutamate receptor 1, Zic4: zing finger of the cerebellum 4, and VCGG: voltage-gated calcium channel.



**Anti-mGluR1 antibodies have been identified in only 2 patients.



† Anti-Zic4 antibodies are predominantly associated with PCD only when no other paraneoplastic antibodies are detectable.



‡Ma proteins include Ma1 and Ma2. Patients with brain-stem and cerebellar dysfunction usually have antibodies against both MA1 and Ma2.



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