Miller-Fisher syndrome associated with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Demyelinating brain lesions developing in a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia shortly after treatment with a fludarabine containing regimen

Autoimmune manifestations are known to occur in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and of these hemolytic anemia and immune thrombocytopenia are the most well recognized. Autoimmunity may also be triggered by some of the therapeutic agents used like purine analoges and these events may sometimes be severe and even fatal. Non-hematological autoimmune stigmata occur far less frequently and are rarely encountered. Here we report a 59 year-old-woman, with CLL, who complained of recurrent headache starting 1 month after completing 6 cycles of fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab combination therapy. Computed tomography scan of the brain showed a contrast enhancing lesion of 1 cm in diameter, with surrounding edema in the right frontal lobe. Brain MRI revealed ring enhancing lesions in the right frontal lobe and some additional small lesions in the left parietal lobe. Brain biopsy showed an inflammatory demyelinating lesion, not associated with JC virus. The patient subsequently improved after steroid therapy. Currently, after 2 years of follow-up, she remains in complete hematologic remission, has no neurological deficits, and is carefully followed by a team of neurologists and hematologists. Treating physicians should be aware of this rare autoimmune inflammatory demyelinating lesion which can occur in patients with CLL during the course of treatment and that may be linked to treatment with purine analogues like fludarabine.

Lymphoma-associated dysimmune polyneuropathies

Lymphoma consists of a variety of malignancies of lymphocyte origin. A spectrum of clinical peripheral neuropathy syndromes with different disease mechanisms occurs in about 5% of lymphoma patients. There exists a complex inter-relationship between lymphoproliferative malignancies and autoimmunity. An imbalance in the regulation of the immune system presumably underlies various immune-mediated neuropathies in patients with lymphoma. This article reviews lymphoma and more-or-less well-defined dysimmune neuropathy subgroups that are caused by humoral and/or cell-mediated immune disease mechanisms directed against known or undetermined peripheral nerve antigens.

Successful treatment of refractory Guillain-Barré syndrome with alemtuzumab in a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

This is the case of a 79-year-old man with chronic lymphocytic leukemia who presented with Guillain-Barré syndrome with features overlapping with the Miller Fisher syndrome and Bickerstaff brainstem encephalitis and positive antiganglioside GQ1b antibody about 6 months after treatment with bendamustine and rituximab. His clinical and neurologic condition continued to deteriorate despite sequential treatment with corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulin and plasmapheresis, but in the end, he had a complete and durable response to treatment with alemtuzumab.

Hodgkin's lymphoma presenting as a complex paraneoplastic neurological syndrome: a case report

INTRODUCTION

Paraneoplastic neuropathies are rare. They are often difficult to diagnose, especially when they precede the diagnosis of cancer. Hodgkin's lymphoma is associated with multiple paraneoplastic neurological syndromes, of which demyelinating polyneuropathies are very unusual. Association with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy is even more uncommon.

CASE PRESENTATION

We report the rare case of a 74-year-old Caucasian man who presented with a complex neurological syndrome and was eventually diagnosed with the nodular sclerosing variant of Hodgkin's lymphoma. With timely diagnosis and early institution of treatment of the underlying malignancy, our patient began to show gradual improvement of his symptoms.

CONCLUSION

Hodgkin's lymphoma is associated with several paraneoplastic neurological syndromes. Sometimes it can be the only presenting feature of an underlying Hodgkin's lymphoma, posing a diagnostic challenge. Prompt oncologic treatment and immunotherapy can be beneficial if instituted early in the course of the disease.

Ataxia, ophthalmoplegia, and areflexia: what would you think?

We present here a case of carcinomatous meningitis presenting as Miller Fisher syndrome (MFS). There are four further cases described in the literature with evidence of tumour invasion within the central nervous system (CNS) shown either in cerebrospinal fluid examination or on histology. There are further five cases described in which an association between cancer and a Miller Fisher phenotype has been shown. Some of these have identified antiganglioside antibodies in the serum and, in one case, also showed antibodies deposited within the primary tumour itself. This raises a question as to whether there is a paraneoplastic form. It would be informative when further cases present in this way to histologically examine for malignant CNS invasion, and the presence of antiganglioside antibodies in both the malignant primary and areas of nervous system thought to be affected by MFS.

Spectrum of neurologic complications in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Neurologic disease is believed to be an unusual complication during the course of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Nevertheless, it has already been proven in autopsy series that the incidence of occult nervous system infiltration is much higher than was previously expected. The advent of more potent drugs to treat this lymphoproliferative disorder has brought a new hope for a possible cure in the future. However, an appropriate systemic treatment for central nervous system infiltration of this disease is still lacking. Also, due to the potent immunosuppressive properties of the agents used in the up-front treatment, for example, the purine nucleoside analogues, we have witnessed an increase in the incidence of opportunistic infections, with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy being one of the most serious. The goal of this review is to summarize the spectrum of neurologic derangements linked to chronic lymphocytic leukemia and to raise clinicians' awareness to recognize the possibility of such associations.