Anti-Yo Positive Paraneoplastic Cerebellar Degeneration Associatedwith Ovarian Cancer: A Case Report and a Review of the Literature

Abstract

Paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration (PCD) is a rare n eurological disorder in cancer patients, characterized by a widespread loss of Purkinje cells associated with a progressive pancerebellar dysfunction. Furthermore, PCD is characterized by acute or subacute onset of neurological symptoms such as cerebellar ataxia, dysarthria and nystagmus due to tumor-induced autoimmunity against cerebellar antigens. It is believed that anti-Yo occurs usually in women and is most likely associated with gynecologic or breast cancers. PCD often precedes the cancer diagnosis by months to years.  

Here, we present a case involving a 52-year-old woman who developed PCD symptoms two months before the diagnosis of ovarian cancer, which was associated with high levels of anti-Yo antibodies.