Paraneoplastic manifestations in children

Abstract

Paraneoplastic manifestations are signs and symptoms observed in patients with cancer, distant from the tumour or its metastases and not caused by invasion, obstruction or bulk mass. In children with cancer, paraneoplastic manifestations are rare and distinct from those observed in adults. Knowledge about paraneoplastic manifestations can be of great clinical importance because they may be the presenting sign of a tumour or its recurrence and hence facilitate early diagnosis. In contrast, they sometimes mask the symptoms of a tumour and cause diagnostic delay. In this review, paraneoplastic manifestations in children are described, including hypercalcaemia, Cushing syndrome, precocious puberty, opsoclonus/myoclonus, acquired von Willebrand disease, watery diarrhoea syndrome, and hypertension. The mechanisms causing these manifestations are also discussed.

Anti-CV2/Collapsin Response Mediator Protein 5 (CRMP5) Paraneoplastic Encephalitis Induced by Small Cell Lung Cancer

“…The diagnosis is usually based on the clinical presentation aided by the radiological findings and confirmed by the laboratory findings with the presence of well-characterized onconeural antibodies. The diagnostic criteria to diagnose “definite PNS” requires the presence of a neurological syndrome, well-characterized onconeural antibodies, and the absence of a brain tumor [ 9 ]. Interestingly, in 70-80% of the cases, patients present with symptoms of PNS before the underlying malignancy has been detected [ 1 ].…”

Ectopic ACTH Secretion in a Child With Metastatic Ewing's Sarcoma: A Case Report

“…PS usually develops in a restricted percentage of patients with tumors (5). There are various mechanisms underlying PS.…”

“…In adults, the most common tumors causing ectopic ACTH Syndrome (EAS) are bronchial neuroendocrine tumors, carcinoid of thymus, pancreatic carcinoma and neural tumors (5). In pediatric age, the tumors that most frequently cause an EAS are neuroblastomas and neuroendocrine neoplasms, while in adolescents, are carcinoid tumors, both sporadic and in the context of multiple endocrine malignancies (6).…”

Ovarian small cell carcinoma of the hypercalcemic type in a 14 month old: The youngest reported case

“…It has been reported in association with malignant rhabdoid tumors of the kidney, mesoblastic nephroma, neuroblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, pheochromocytoma, leukemia, brain tumors, and small cell carcinoma of the ovary [1][2][3][4].…”