Paraneoplastic syndromes of the nervous system (PNS) are neurological disorders associated with cancer, not caused by metastases or indirect effects such as complications of therapy. Although PNS are uncommon, they are an important as they frequently cause significant neurological morbidity. As PNS often antedate the diagnosis of the underlying cancer, early diagnosis is important as this offers the best chance of a favourable outcome for the cancer, as well as for the neurological disorder.1 There is growing consensus that most PNS are caused by an immune response generated against antigens shared by both the cancer cells and components of …