[85-years-old patient with paraneoplastic polyneuropathy].

Symptoms associated with neoplasms that are not a direct result of tumor growth, metastases, concomitant infection or antineoplastic treatment are known as paraneoplastic syndrome (PS). PS results from autoimmune reaction against antigens common to host nervous cells and neoplasm. The most common neurological PS are Lambert-Eaton syndrome, paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration and polyneuropathies. The most common neoplasms inducing PS are oat cell lung carcinoma, ovarian carcinoma, breast carcinoma, neuroblastoma, thymoma and lymphoma. From 2001 to 2004 at the Dept. of Neurology, Ageing, Degenerative and Cerebrovascular Diseases the paraneoplastic polyneuropathy was diagnosed in 6 patients. The authors report on a 86-year-old male with peripheral polyneuropathy and respiratory failure who presented PS ten months prior to finding of primary neoplastic lesion in lungs. The authors discuss diagnostic and therapeutic problems in patients with PS. This report reminds that in each unclear case of polyneuropathy PS should be strongly suspected.