eMedicine Specialties > Oncology > Special Topics in Oncology

Paraneoplastic Syndromes: Follow-up

Author: Luigi Santacroce, MD, Assistant Professor, Medical School, State University at Bari, Italy
Coauthor(s): Laura Diomede, University of Bari School of Medicine, Italy; Silvia Gagliardi, MD, Consulting Staff, Department of Surgery, Medical Center Vita, Italy; Lodovico Balducci, MD, Professor of Oncology and Medicine, University of South Florida College of Medicine; Division Chief, Senior Adult Oncology Program, H Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute
Contributor Information and Disclosures

Updated: Mar 5, 2009

Follow-up

Inpatient & Outpatient Medications

  • Standard perioperative care and monitoring before and after radiotherapy or chemotherapy are required.
  • Systematic psychotherapeutic and rehabilitative interventions may also be helpful.

Deterrence/Prevention

As with most cancers, no primary preventive or deterrence measures are known for paraneoplastic syndromes.

Complications

Because a paraneoplastic syndrome represents a complication of cancer, the only complication may be death occurring as a result of an irreversible system impairment, usually acute heart failure or kidney failure.

Prognosis

Because paraneoplastic syndromes differ widely from individual to individual, prognosis may vary greatly. For example, DIC indicates a poor prognosis, while hypertrophic osteoarthropathy is one of the few paraneoplastic syndromes that may indicate an improved prognosis.

Patient Education

For excellent patient education resources, visit eMedicine's Cancer and Tumors Center. Also, see eMedicine's patient education articles Brain Cancer, Bladder Cancer, and Breast Cancer.

Miscellaneous

Medicolegal Pitfalls

Failure to make a rapid and correct diagnosis of any paraneoplastic syndrome may lead to legal claims. Early recognition may lead to clues about the underlying conditions and thus avoid diagnostic errors and permit earlier diagnosis and faster treatment. Remember that paraneoplastic syndromes may evolve over weeks to months (more rarely, 1-3 y) and then may stabilize, regardless of whether the patient's symptoms improve or get worse.

 


More on Paraneoplastic Syndromes

Overview: Paraneoplastic Syndromes
Differential Diagnoses & Workup: Paraneoplastic Syndromes
Treatment & Medication: Paraneoplastic Syndromes
Follow-up: Paraneoplastic Syndromes
References
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Further Reading

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Keywords

paraneoplastic syndromes, paraneoplastic disorders,  dermatomyositis-polymyositis, Cushing syndrome, malignant carcinoid syndrome, stiff man syndrome, stiff person syndrome, opsoclonus/myoclonus syndrome, opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome, Lambert-Eaton syndrome, Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome, LEMS, myasthenia gravis, MG, paraneoplastic sensory   neuropathy, PSN, paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis, PLE, paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration, PCD, paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis, PEM, fever, tumors, cancer

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Contributor Information and Disclosures

Author

Luigi Santacroce, MD, Assistant Professor, Medical School, State University at Bari, Italy
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Laura Diomede, University of Bari School of Medicine, Italy
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Silvia Gagliardi, MD, Consulting Staff, Department of Surgery, Medical Center Vita, Italy
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Lodovico Balducci, MD, Professor of Oncology and Medicine, University of South Florida College of Medicine; Division Chief, Senior Adult Oncology Program, H Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Medical Editor

Michael Perry, MD, MS, MACP, Nellie B Smith Chair of Oncology Emeritus, Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Missouri /Ellis Fischel Cancer Center
Michael Perry, MD, MS, MACP is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Association for Cancer Research, American College of Physicians, American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine, American Medical Association, American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Society of Hematology, International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, and Missouri State Medical Association
Disclosure: Bionumerik Consulting fee Consulting; Proactya Consulting fee Consulting; GSK Consulting fee Consulting; NovoNordisk Consulting fee Consulting; Amgen Honoraria Speaking and teaching; GSK Consulting fee Speaking and teaching

Pharmacy Editor

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD, Senior Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Managing Editor

Benjamin Movsas, MD, Vice-Chairman, Department of Radiation Oncology, Fox Chase Cancer Center
Benjamin Movsas, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Radiology, American Radium Society, and American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

CME Editor

Rajalaxmi McKenna, MD, FACP, Consulting Staff, Department of Medicine, Southwest Medical Consultants, SC, Good Samaritan Hospital, Advocate Health Systems
Rajalaxmi McKenna, MD, FACP is a member of the following medical societies: American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Society of Hematology, and International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis
Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Jules E Harris, MD, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Medical Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine at Tucson; Consulting Staff, Arizona Cancer Center
Jules E Harris, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for Cancer Research, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Association of Immunologists, American Society of Hematology, and Central Society for Clinical Research
Disclosure: GlobeImmune Salary Consulting; Amplimed Consulting fee Consulting

 
 
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