Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis with immature ovarian teratoma

  • Published:
Journal of Neuro-Oncology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis (PLE) is a remote, nonmetastatic complication of carcinoma. Neuropsychiatric symptoms usually predate the diagnosis of cancer by 3 months to 6 years and very rarely the symptoms develop after the diagnosis of malignancy. We report the first case of limbic encephalitis associated with an immature ovarian teratoma. Within the month following the diagnosis of the tumor with pathologic stage Ia, somewhat acutely she developed neuropsychiatric symptoms that was exclusively a limbic disorder with impairments in almost every realm of limbic function. This case may show us that it is important to recognize the neuropsychiatric symptoms of PLE as the first manifestation of a very small malignant ovarian tumor and to aggressively try to identify the underlying cancer.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Henson RA, Russell DS, Wilkinson M: Carcinomatous neuropathy and myopathy: A clinical and pathological study. Brain 77: 82–121, 1954

    Google Scholar 

  2. Dorfman LJ, Forno LS: Paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis. Acta Neurol Scand 48: 556–574, 1972

    Google Scholar 

  3. Camara EG, Chelune GJ: Paraneoplastic limbic encephalopathy. Brain Behav Immun 1: 349–355, 1987

    Google Scholar 

  4. Croft PB, Wilkinson M: The incidence of carcinomatous neuromyopathy in patients with various types of carcinoma. Brain 88: 427–434, 1965

    Google Scholar 

  5. Henson RA, Hoffman HL, Urich H: Encephalomyelitis with carcinoma. Brain 88: 449–464, 1965

    Google Scholar 

  6. Corsellis JA, Goldberg GJ, Norton AR: ‘Limbic encephalitis’ and its association with carcinoma. Brain 91: 481–496, 1968

    Google Scholar 

  7. Glaser GH, Pincus HH: Limbic encephalitis. J Nerv Ment Dis 149: 59–67, 1969

    Google Scholar 

  8. Brennan LV, Craddock PR: Limbic encephalopathy as a nonmetastatic complication of oat cell lung cancer. Am J Med 75: 518–520, 1983

    Google Scholar 

  9. Case records of the Massachusetts General Hospital. Case A 30-1985. N Eng J Med 313: 249–257, 1985

  10. Van Sweden B, Van Petegham Ph: Psychopathology in paraneoplastic encephalopathy. An electroclinical observation. J Clin Psychiatry 47: 267–268, 1986

    Google Scholar 

  11. Cornelius JR, Soloff PH, Miewald BK: Behavioral manifestations of paraneoplastic encephalomyelopathy. Biol Psychiatry 21: 686–690, 1986

    Google Scholar 

  12. Janati A, Gray RP, Souheaver GT: A mental syndrome associated with colonic carcinoma: Limbic encephalitis? Psychosomatics 28: 48–50, 1987

    Google Scholar 

  13. McArdle JP, Millingen KS: Limbic encephalitis associated with malignant thymoma. Pathology 20: 292–295, 1988

    Google Scholar 

  14. Burton GV, Bullard DE, Walther PJ, Burger PC: Paraneoplastic limbic encephalopathy with testicular carcinoma. A reversible neurologic syndrome. Cancer 62: 2248–2251, 1988

    Google Scholar 

  15. Carr I: The Ophelia syndrome: memory loss in Hodgkin’s disease. Lancet 1: 844, 1982

    Google Scholar 

  16. Mesulam MM: Patterns in behavioral neuroanatomy: association areas, the limbic system, and hemispheric specialization. In: Mesulam MM (ed) Principles and Behavioral Neurology. FA Davis Corp, Philadelphia 1–70, 1985

    Google Scholar 

  17. Furneaux HM, Rosenblum MK, Wong E, Woodruff P, Posner JB: Selective expression of Purkinje neuron antigens in ovarian and breast tumors of patients with paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration (Abstract). Neurology 39 (suppl 1): 260, 1989

    Google Scholar 

  18. Dalmau J, Graus F, Rosenblum MK, Posner JB: Anti-Hu associated paraneoplastic encephalomeylitis/sensory neuronopathy: a clinical study of 71 patients. Medicine 71: 59–72, 1992

    Google Scholar 

  19. Ahern GL, O'Connor M, Dalmau J, Coleman A, Posner JB, Schomer DL, Herzog AG, Kolb DA, Mesulam MM: Paraneoplastic temporal lobe epilepsy with testicular neoplasm and atypical amnesia. Neurology 44: 1270–1274, 1994

    Google Scholar 

  20. Kohler J, Hufschmidt A, Hermle L, Volk B, Lucking CH: Limbic encephalitis: two cases. J Neuroimmunol 20: 177– 178, 1988

    Google Scholar 

  21. Lacomis D, Khoshbin S, Schick RM: MR imaging of paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis. J Comput Assist Tomogr 14: 115–117, 1990

    Google Scholar 

  22. Markham M, Abeloff MD: Small cell lung cancer and limbic encephalitis (letter). Ann Intern Med 96: 785, 1982

    Google Scholar 

  23. Amir J, Galbraith RC: Paraneoplastic limbic encephalopathy as a nonmetastatic complication of small cell lung cancer. South Med J 85: 1013–1014, 1992

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Oncology, Department of Medical Oncology, University of Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey

    Adnan Aydiner

  2. Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurology, University of Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey

    Hakan Gürvit

  3. Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, University of Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey

    Isin Baral

Authors
  1. Adnan Aydiner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Hakan Gürvit
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Isin Baral
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Aydiner, A., Gürvit, H. & Baral, I. Paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis with immature ovarian teratoma. J Neurooncol 37, 63–66 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005875822605

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005875822605

Search

Navigation