Breast cancer and paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration
Article Abstract:
Metastatic spread of disease is the hallmark of cancer. However, cancer can also cause serious illness by altering some of the body's basic processes. These effects are exerted at remote parts of the body by metabolic forces rather than by the immediate presence of cancerous cells; they are called paraneoplastic syndromes. One such syndrome is paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration. The cerebellum of the brain helps with the coordination of movement, and its degeneration usually results in difficulty walking and other problems with coordination. Paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration is most commonly a complication of ovarian cancer or lung cancer, but may be a complication of breast cancer as well. A case is described in which breast cancer was the underlying cause of cerebellar degeneration in a 61-year-old woman. The patient developed vertigo, which is often characterized as a sensation of spinning in space or of being in a room that is spinning. The patient also had nausea and vomiting; a neurological examination revealed abnormal eye movements. The patient was treated for an inner ear infection, but her symptoms continued to worsen. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed no abnormalities, but a blood test showed that the patient had anti-Yo antibodies. These peculiar autoantibodies react with Purkinje cells, large cells in the cerebellum that are responsible for the output of that part of the brain. Further physical examination revealed a swollen lymph node in her left armpit. Upon biopsy, the patient's these lymph nodes were found to contain breast cancer cells, and a radical mastectomy was performed. Examination of the breast tissue confirmed cancer. The patient was placed on chemotherapeutic treatment. However, the neurological condition of the patient continued to deteriorate, and ultimately she fell into a coma and died. The presence of autoantibodies that react with some cells in the brain suggests that, in some way, cancers may stimulate an autoimmune response. In this particular case, the patient never developed symptoms of breast cancer, and it was only the development of a paraneoplastic syndrome that led to the patient's diagnosis of cancer as well as to her death. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Cancer
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0008-543X
Year: 1991
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The value of the tumor marker CA 15-3 in diagnosing and monitoring breast cancer: a comparative study with carcinoembryonic antigen
Article Abstract:
Tumor markers are substances that are strongly associated with tumors. Therefore, detection of these markers in the blood may indicate the presence of cancer. In principle, tumors markers might be used in mass screening for cancer. This technique is not presently adequate for mass screening, but tumor markers may prove to very useful in following-up cancer patients for signs of recurrent tumor. Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a tumor marker first described in 1965. More recently, a host of other markers have been discovered and are currently under investigation. The markers CA 19-9 and CA 12-3 have proved to be useful in the follow-up of patients with pancreatic cancer and ovarian cancer. A study was conducted to compare the usefulness of CEA with a newer marker, CA 15-3, in evaluating patients with cancer. The study group included 134 patients with breast cancer and 375 patients with other types of cancer. A total of 833 patients with benign disease were also included in the study. CEA was elevated in 26 percent of the patients with breast cancer. The marker CA 15-3 was high in 31 percent of the patients with breast cancer. CA 15-3 was also elevated in 22 percent of the patients with other cancers and in 9 percent of the patients with noncancerous disease. During the follow-up period, 205 of the cancer patients developed recurrent cancer. Among these patients, 73 percent had elevated amounts of CA 15-3, and 50 percent had elevated amounts of CEA. These results indicate that neither CA 15-3 nor CEA are sufficient for a practical program of early screening, but may prove satisfactory in monitoring cancer patients for recurrent disease. In addition, CA 15-3 appears to be a more accurate tumor marker than CEA in detecting breast cancer recurrence. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Cancer
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0008-543X
Year: 1991
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