title: Generalized pruritus preceding paraneoplastic neuropathy.
abstract: Paraneoplastic syndromes are a group of rare disorders involving non-metastatic systemic effects accompanying malignancies, and occur remotely from the tumor itself. Chronic pruritus lasting more than 6 weeks can be from paraneoplastic origin. A 65-year-old woman was admitted for generalized pruritus lasting for 1 month, despite treatment with prednisolone, levocetirizine and hydroxyzine. General examination was normal. Biological data and gastroscopy were normal. One month later, the patient was readmitted for worsening of her pruritus and walking impairment, revealing a severe sensory neuropathy. Blood anti-Hu antibodies returned positive at a level of 400 (normal <100). Bronchoscopy and bronchial biopsies revealed small-cell lung carcinoma. To our knowledge, the association of generalized pruritus and paraneoplastic neuropathy has been rarely reported. Our observation raises the question of a pathophysiological continuum between pruritus and neuropathy in a paraneoplastic context.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Rouen University Hospital and University of Rouen, 76031 Rouen Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hébant
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Evreux General Hospital, France.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Miret
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Evreux General Hospital, France.
authors.forename: Lucile
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Berthelot
authors.affiliation: Department of Pneumology, Evreux General Hospital, France.
authors.forename: Mohamad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jaafar
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Rouen University Hospital and University of Rouen, 76031 Rouen Cedex, France; INSERM U1073, Rouen, France.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Maltête
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Rouen University Hospital and University of Rouen, 76031 Rouen Cedex, France. Electronic address: romain.lefaucheur@chu-rouen.fr.
authors.forename: Romain
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lefaucheur
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D020364:Paraneoplastic Polyneuropathy / Q000209:etiology*; D010257:Paraneoplastic Syndromes / Q000209:etiology; D011537:Pruritus / Q000209:etiology*; D055752:Small Cell Lung Carcinoma / Q000150:complications*
keywords: Neuropathy; Paraneoplastic; Pruritus; Small cell lung carcinoma