Paraneoplastic Syndromes

DESCRIPTION

Paraneoplastic syndromes, defined in this book as "disorders caused by cancer, but not a direct result of cancer invasion of the affected organ or tissue", once believed to be rare and esoteric neurologic disorders have assumed increasing importance as an explanation of neurologic and other symptoms in patients suffered from occult or controllable cancers. This book attempts a comprehensive review of paraneoplastic syndromes from considering both clinical and pathophysiologic aspects. The book is divided into 4 sections: The first is an overview, classifying the disorders, describing a clinical approach to the diagnosis and treatment of paraneoplastic syndromes in general and identifying their pathogenesis. The second section discusses the clinical findings and treatment of individual paraneoplastic syndromes with chapters dedicated to each of the neurologic syndromes and a chapter discussing nonneurologic syndromes such as endocrine, cutaneous, and rheumatologic paraneoplastic disorders. The third section discusses autoantibodies that characterize individual paraneoplastic syndromes. The final section discusses the paraneoplastic syndromes associated with individual cancers.

FEATURES

• First monograph devoted to paraneoplastic syndromes since 1965
• Divided into 4 sections (an overview of the field; discussion of clinical findings and treatment of individual syndromes; the antibodies that characterise syndromes and the syndromes associated with individual cancers) making it accessible and easily navigable
• Describes in detail the knowledge of clinical findings in pathogenesis

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• SECTION 1 Overview
• 1. History
• Definitions
• Classification
• History
• Pathogenesis
• Epidemiology
• Importance
• 2. Clinical Findings, Treatment and Prognosis
• Introduction
• Clinical Approach
• The Patient Without Known Cancer
• The Patient With Known Cancer
• Clues to Diagnosis
• Clinical Findings
• Laboratory Investigation
• Pathology
• Treatment
• Plasma Exchange (Plasmapheresis)
• Intravenous Immunoglobulin
• Rituximab,
• Cyclophosphamide,
• Corticosteroids,
• Human Chorionic Gonadotropin
• Recommendations
• Prognosis
• 3. Pathogenesis
• Introduction
• Historical Views
• Toxic Substances Competition for Essential Substrate Bullet
• Opportunistic Infection Immune Mediated
• Current Concepts of Pathogenesis
• Unresolved Questions
• Conclusions
• Animal Models
• SECTION 2 Clinical Syndromes
• 4. Brain (Cerebrum)
• Introduction
• Cerebral Cortex
• White Matter Demyelination
• Blood Vessels (Vasculitis)
• Hippocampus/Lymbic Encephalitis
• Taste

AUTHOR

Robert B. Darnell, MD, PhD, Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Heilbrunn Cancer Professor and Senior Physician, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY., and Jerome B. Posner, MD, FAAN, Evelyn Frew American Cancer Society Clinical Research Professor, George C. Cotzias Chair of Neuro-oncology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY. Dr. Darnell studied neurology as Chief Resident with Dr. Fred Plum at The New York Hospital, Cornell, and then, beginning in 1990 and continuing through the present time, with Dr. Jerome Posner at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Darnell is currently the Heilbrunn Cancer Professor and Senior Physician at The Rockefeller University and an Investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and is an Affiliate Attending Neurologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Posner did a Neurology residency at the University of Washington under Dr. Fred Plum. C. Cotzias of Neuro-Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering cancer Center and was recently in only clinical research professor ship from the American Cancer Society.