title: Anti-Hu Antibody Associated Paraneoplastic Cerebellar Degeneration in Head and Neck Cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Paraneoplastic syndromes are most frequently associated with small cell lung carcinoma, hematologic and gynecologic malignancies while reports in head and neck cancer are rare.
  
  
  METHODS
  We present the case of a 60-year old female patient who developed paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration upon locoregional recurrence of a poorly differentiated spindle cell carcinoma of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinus. The neurological symptoms, especially ataxia, stabilized after resection of tumor recurrence and concomitant chemoradiotherapy whereas anti-Hu-antibodies remained positive. Despite the unfavorable prognosis of paraneoplastic neurological disorders associated with onconeural antibodies, the patient achieved long-standing stabilization of neurological symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We report the first patient with anti-Hu antibodies and paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration associated with a spindle cell carcinoma of the head and neck. We recommend that evaluation of neurological symptoms in patients with this tumor entity should also include paraneoplastic syndromes as differential diagnoses and suggest early extensive screening for onconeural antibodies.
authors.affiliation: Third Medical Department with Hematology, Medical Oncology, Hemostaseology, Infectious Diseases and Rheumatology, Oncologic Center, Salzburg Cancer Research Institute with Laboratory of Immunological and Molecular Cancer Research and Center for Clinical Cancer and Immunology Trials, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Muellner Hauptstrasse 48, 5020, Salzburg, Austria. f.huemer@salk.at.
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Huemer
authors.affiliation: Third Medical Department with Hematology, Medical Oncology, Hemostaseology, Infectious Diseases and Rheumatology, Oncologic Center, Salzburg Cancer Research Institute with Laboratory of Immunological and Molecular Cancer Research and Center for Clinical Cancer and Immunology Trials, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Muellner Hauptstrasse 48, 5020, Salzburg, Austria. t.melchardt@salk.at.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Melchardt
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria. w.traenkenschuh@salk.at.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tränkenschuh
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria. d.neureiter@salk.at.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Neureiter
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria. g.moser@salk.at.
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Moser
authors.affiliation: Third Medical Department with Hematology, Medical Oncology, Hemostaseology, Infectious Diseases and Rheumatology, Oncologic Center, Salzburg Cancer Research Institute with Laboratory of Immunological and Molecular Cancer Research and Center for Clinical Cancer and Immunology Trials, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Muellner Hauptstrasse 48, 5020, Salzburg, Austria. t.magnes@salk.at.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Magnes
authors.affiliation: Third Medical Department with Hematology, Medical Oncology, Hemostaseology, Infectious Diseases and Rheumatology, Oncologic Center, Salzburg Cancer Research Institute with Laboratory of Immunological and Molecular Cancer Research and Center for Clinical Cancer and Immunology Trials, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Muellner Hauptstrasse 48, 5020, Salzburg, Austria. lu.weiss@salk.at.
authors.forename: Lukas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria. a.schlattau@salk.at.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schlattau
authors.affiliation: Third Medical Department with Hematology, Medical Oncology, Hemostaseology, Infectious Diseases and Rheumatology, Oncologic Center, Salzburg Cancer Research Institute with Laboratory of Immunological and Molecular Cancer Research and Center for Clinical Cancer and Immunology Trials, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Muellner Hauptstrasse 48, 5020, Salzburg, Austria. cl.hufnagl@salk.at.
authors.forename: Clemens
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hufnagl
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. gerda.ricken@meduniwien.ac.at.
authors.forename: Gerda
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ricken
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. romana.hoeftberger@meduniwien.ac.at.
authors.forename: Romana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Höftberger
authors.affiliation: Third Medical Department with Hematology, Medical Oncology, Hemostaseology, Infectious Diseases and Rheumatology, Oncologic Center, Salzburg Cancer Research Institute with Laboratory of Immunological and Molecular Cancer Research and Center for Clinical Cancer and Immunology Trials, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Muellner Hauptstrasse 48, 5020, Salzburg, Austria. r.greil@salk.at.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Greil
authors.affiliation: Third Medical Department with Hematology, Medical Oncology, Hemostaseology, Infectious Diseases and Rheumatology, Oncologic Center, Salzburg Cancer Research Institute with Laboratory of Immunological and Molecular Cancer Research and Center for Clinical Cancer and Immunology Trials, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Muellner Hauptstrasse 48, 5020, Salzburg, Austria. a.egle@salk.at.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Egle
mesh_terms: D000906:Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009669:Nose Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D010255:Paranasal Sinus Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D020362:Paraneoplastic Cerebellar Degeneration / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies