RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Diagnostic value of anti-neuronal antibodies for paraneoplastic disorders of the nervous system.
JF Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry
JO J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP 940
OP 943
DO 10.1136/jnnp.53.11.940
VO 53
IS 11
A1 Moll, J W
A1 Henzen-Logmans, S C
A1 Splinter, T A
A1 van der Burg, M E
A1 Vecht, C J
YR 1990
UL http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/53/11/940.abstract
AB The diagnostic value of the presence of anti-neuronal antibodies in serum was examined in 21 patients suspected of paraneoplastic disorders of the nervous system (NS) (group 1) and was compared to three control groups; group 2: 25 patients with a neurological disease, without cancer and no sign of paraneoplastic disorder; group 3: 27 patients with neurological disease and cancer and no signs of a paraneoplastic disorder; group 4: 94 patients with cancer and without neurological disease. In group 1, anti-neuronal nuclear antibodies were detected in eight patients (38%), in titres from 1:1000 to 1:32,000. A small cell lung cancer was present in six patients, ovarian cancer in one patient and in one patient no tumour could be detected. The neurological symptoms preceded a diagnosis of cancer in five out of eight patients. Anti-neuronal antibodies were found in the serum of two out of 94 patients (2%) from control group 3 but not in serum from any of the other control groups. These data indicate a moderate sensitivity of 38%, but a high specificity of 98.6% (95% confidence interval 95.5-99.8%) for the presence of anti-neuronal nuclear antibodies if a paraneoplastic NS disorder is suspected.