Diagnosis and treatment of limbic encephalitis in the cancer patient.
Publication/Presentation Date
8-1-2020
Abstract
Limbic encephalitis is an inflammatory process involving the limbic structures of the brain, manifested with short-term memory deficits, confusion, depression and seizures. It is usually a paraneoplastic condition but it may also appear as a nonparaneoplastic syndrome. Patients with this condition may exhibit a variety of antibodies in their serum or/and cerebrospinal fluid targeting basement membrane components that bind to a variety of neurotransmitter receptors such as α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid and GABA B and proteins associated to the ion channels such as LGI1, Caspr2 or intracellular components. Flurodeoxyglucose PET/computed tomography usually demonstrates increased uptake in the limbic structures, and it may reveal the site of the primary tumor. Treatment consists of tumor removal if possible. Symptomatic treatment includes steroids, gamma immune globulin, plasma exchange, immunosuppressive therapies and anti-epileptic drugs. Prognosis is better when it is associated with antibodies against basement membrane rather than intracellular antibodies.
Volume
16
Issue
22
First Page
1647
Last Page
1655
ISSN
1744-8301
Published In/Presented At
Kyritsis, A. P., Markoula, S., Alexiou, G., Asimakopoulos, A., Jabbour, P., Fotopoulos, A., & Sioka, C. (2020). Diagnosis and treatment of limbic encephalitis in the cancer patient. Future oncology (London, England), 16(22), 1647–1655. https://doi.org/10.2217/fon-2020-0080
Disciplines
Business Administration, Management, and Operations | Health and Medical Administration | Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods
PubMedID
32511017
Department(s)
Administration and Leadership
Document Type
Article