Clinical characteristics of the 17 patients included in the present study
| Point | Gender/age | Clinical presentation | Ab type | Delay PNS/IVIg (months)* | IVIg cycles (n) | Tumour histology | Delay PNS/tumour (months)* | Tumour treatment during IVIg treatment (±3 months) | Neurological outcome | Tumour status at 6 months | Last follow-up (months), patient status | Cause of death | ||
| mRS at enrolment | mRS at3 months | mRS at 6 months | ||||||||||||
| 1 | F/85 | SSN | Yo | 2 | 6 | Endometrium adenocarcinoma | 42- | None | 3 | 1 | 1 | Complete response | 40, Alive | NA |
| 2 | M/80 | SSN | Hu | 1.2 | 3 | SCLC | 1.7+ | Cisplatin/VP16; carboplatin/VP16 | 3 | 5 | 5 | Partial response | 12, Alive | NA |
| 3 | F/63 | LE | Hu | 2 | 6 | No tumour detected | NA | NA | 2 | 1 | 1 | No tumour detected | 38, Alive | NA |
| 4 | F/62 | SMN | Hu | 4 | 3 | Neuroendocrine breast cancer | 23− | None | 3 | 4 | 4 | Stable disease | 8, Alive | NA |
| 5 | M/58 | MN | Hu | 5.5 | 6 | SCLC | 6+ | Carboplatin/VP16 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Tumour progression | 26, Dead | Tumour progression |
| 6 | M/53 | SMN | Hu | 3.8 | 1 | SCLC | 4+ | Vinorelbine/cisplatin; cisplatin/VP16 | 3 | NA | NA | NA | 3.5, Dead | Tumour progression |
| 7 | M/67 | SSN | Hu | 2 | 6 | SCLC | 1.5+ | Carboplatin/VP16 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Stable disease | 13, Dead | Tumour progression |
| 8 | M/76 | SSN/ LEMS | Hu | 3 | 6 | SCLC | 2.3+ | Cisplatin/VP16; local RT; prophylactic brain RT | 3 | 3 | 3 | Stable disease | 36, Alive | NA |
| 9 | M/60 | PCD | CV2 | 3.5 | 6 | No tumour detected | NA | NA | 3 | 3 | 3 | No tumour detected | 32, Dead | Tumour progression (lung cancer) |
| 10 | M/56 | SSN | Hu | 3 | 6 | SCLC | 2+ | Carboplatin/VP16; prophylactic brain RT | 3 | 3 | 3 | Stable disease | 14, Dead | Tumour progression |
| 11 | M/58 | SMN | Hu | 4 | 0 | No tumour detected | NA | NA | 3 | NA | NA | NA | 4.5, Dead | Fall with head trauma |
| 12 | F/77 | LE | Hu | 2 | 2 | SCLC | 2+ | Carboplatin/VP16; local RT | 3 | NA | NA | NA | 3, Dead | Sepsis |
| 13 | M/48 | SMN | Hu | 1 | 2 | SCLC | 1+ | Carboplatin/VP16 | 3 | NA | NA | NA | 2, Dead | PNS |
| 14 | M/39 | SSN | Hu | 3 | 4 | Neuroendocrine rectum cancer | 2+ | Carboplatin/VP16; FOLFIRI; 5-FU/dacarbazine; local RT | 2 | 2 | NA | NA | 6, Dead | Tumour progression |
| 15 | F/62 | SSN/LEMS/ON | CV2 | 2 | 5 | SCLC | 2+ | Carboplatin/VP16; local RT; prophylactic brain RT | 2 | 2 | 3 | Partial response | 20, Alive | NA |
| 16 | F/57 | SSN/LE | Hu | 5 | 3 | SCLC | 6+ | Cisplatin/VP16; local RT | 3 | 3 | 4 | Complete response | 20, Alive | NA |
| 17 | M/59 | LE/SSN | Hu | 3.8 | 6 | No tumour detected | NA | NA | 3 | 3 | 3 | No tumour detected | 16, Alive | NA |
*Delay from the onset of PNS to tumour detection: ‘+’ means the PNS precedes the tumour, while ‘−’ means the PNS follows the tumour.
Ab, antibody; F, female; FOLFIRI: FOLinic acid + Fluorouracil + IRInotecan; 5-FU: 5-fluorouracil; IVIg, intravenous immunoglobulin; LE, limbic encephalitis; LEMS, Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome; M, male; MN, motor neuropathy; ON, optic neuropathy; PCD, paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration; PNS, paraneoplastic neurological syndrome; Pt, patient; RT, radiotherapy; SCLC, small cell lung cancer; SMN, sensorimotor neuropathy; SSN, subacute sensory neuronopathy; VP-16: etoposide; mRS, modified Rankin Scale; NA, not applicable;.