Paraneoplastic neurological autoimmunity associated with ANNA-1 autoantibody and thymoma

Neurology. 2002 Sep 24;59(6):929-32. doi: 10.1212/wnl.59.6.929.

Abstract

Neurologic autoimmunity frequently occurs with thymoma, particularly myasthenia gravis and skeletal muscle-specific autoantibodies. Type 1 antineuronal nuclear antibody (ANNA-1/"anti-Hu"), which is recognized as an immunoglobulin G marker of small-cell lung carcinoma, has not been reported with thymoma. The authors identified four patients (three under age 40) with ANNA-1 and a paraneoplastic neurologic complication of thymoma. Retrospective testing of stored serum from 172 patients with thymoma revealed ANNA-1 in 3%. This report extends the oncologic implications of ANNA-1 seropositivity.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Autoantibodies / blood*
  • Cerebral Cortex / pathology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Myasthenia Gravis / immunology*
  • Myasthenia Gravis / pathology
  • Paraneoplastic Syndromes / immunology*
  • Paraneoplastic Syndromes / pathology
  • Thymoma / immunology*
  • Thymoma / pathology

Substances

  • Autoantibodies
  • myasthenia gravis anti-skeletal muscle antibody