Two cases of aquaporin-4 positive neuromyelitis optica associated with T-cell lymphoma

Cancer-associated neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder: a case report with literature review

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) is one of autoimmune inflammatory diseases and is characterized by area postrema syndrome, brainstem syndrome, optic neuritis, and/or myelitis. Typical myelitis is longitudinally extended transverse myelitis (LETM) which extends over three vertebral bodies. Several previous case reports have suggested association between cancer and NMOSD. A 50-year-old woman had breast cancer and underwent mastectomy and, 10 months later, she had developed acutely progressive dysbasia. Spine MRI showed LETM in 13 vertebrae length and blood test revealed positive anti-aquaporin 4 (anti-AQP4) antibody based on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with index of over 40. She was treated by intravenous methylprednisolone, plasma exchange, and intravenous immunoglobulin, followed by oral prednisolone. The condition had mostly recovered after the treatment. A small population of NMOSD has the aspect of paraneoplastic neurological syndrome. The age of onset in patients with cancer-associated NMOSD tends to be higher than that in individuals with NMOSD due to any causes of NMOSD.

Recurrent Optic Neuritis and Perineuritis Followed by an Unexpected Discovery

We describe a woman with a history of relapsing acute optic neuritis and perineuritis. Testing failed to confirm a specific diagnosis; hence, she was diagnosed with seronegative neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder and treated with the immunotherapy rituximab, later in conjunction with mycophenolate mofetil. She achieved a durable remission for 9 years until she presented with paresthesia affecting her left fifth digit, right proximal thigh, and left foot, while also reporting a 25-pound weight loss over the prior 3 months. New imaging demonstrated a longitudinally extensive and enhancing optic nerve, in conjunction with multifocal enhancing lesions within the spinal cord, in a skip-like distribution. The differential diagnosis is discussed.

AQP4-IgG-positive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder and temporally detected neoplasms: case report and systematic review

BACKGROUND

An increasing number of reports on associations between neoplasms and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) have been published over the past decade. However, types of neoplasms and temporal relationships have not been widely studied.

OBJECTIVE

To report cases and determine the associations between neoplasms and NMOSD.

METHOD

A retrospective chart review of possible paraneoplastic NMOSD patients at a university hospital was performed. Articles related to "neoplasm" and "NMOSD" were systematically searched and reviewed. We included aquaporin-4 (AQP4)-IgG-seropositive NMOSD patients whose onset of NMOSD and cancer diagnosis or recurrence were within 24 months of one another. Temporal relationship, types of neoplasms involved, treatments, and outcomes of both NMOSD and neoplasms were determined. The subgroup analysis was based on the AQP4 expression of neoplasm histology.

RESULTS

We identified 3 cases (1.3%) from a cohort of 224 AQP4-IgG-seropositive NMOSD at our hospital and retrieved 68 cases from a systematic review, totaling 71 cases of possible paraneoplastic NMOSD. The median age at onset of NMOSD was 55 (IQR 41-64) years. Eighty percent were female. The most frequently identified types of neoplasms were lung and breast, accounting for 21.1% and 18.3%, respectively. The other tumor types were ovarian tumors and hematologic malignancy, both at 12.7%. The most commonly identified tissue histology was adenocarcinoma (52.1%). We also reported the first case of melanoma in an NMOSD patient. Twenty-eight patients (39.4%) were diagnosed with cancer before the onset of NMOSD with a median duration of 9.5 (range 1-24) months. Of those, eight patients had NMOSD after surgical removal of neoplasms, and one patient had NMOSD after radiotherapy of prostate adenocarcinoma. Twenty-three patients (32.4%) had NMOSD before cancer diagnosis by a median of 3 (range 1-24) months, and the rest were diagnosed concurrently during the same admission. Three cases were diagnosed with NMOSD around the time of tumor recurrence. Tumor tissue expressed AQP4 in 82.4%.

CONCLUSION

A small proportion of AQP4-IgG-positive NMOSD is associated with malignancy. In newly diagnosed NMOSD patients without symptoms of neoplasms, screening for age- and risk-appropriate cancer should be recommended, similar to the general population. The occurrence of NMOSD in cancer patients might suggest tumor recurrence.

Paraneoplastic Syndromes in Neuro-Ophthalmology

Paraneoplastic neurological syndromes (PNS) occur in about 1 in 300 cases of cancer. The usual mechanism is that an antigen on the cancer sets off an immune response that then cross-reacts with a nervous system antigen. The presentation is usually with a subacute progressive neurological disorder. The management of these conditions is usually of both the underlying tumor and immunomodulation to suppress the autoimmune response. There are a number of these conditions that can present to the Neuro-Ophthalmology clinic, either as a discrete condition affecting vision or eye movements or as part of a more widespread neurological disorder. This article will discuss these conditions, their management and prognosis.

Aquaporin-4-Positive Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Presenting with Paraneoplastic Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder

INTRODUCTION

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is an inflammatory central nervous system disorder that preferentially affects the optic nerve and the spinal cord. Although NMOSD is more commonly an idiopathic autoimmune condition associated with antibodies against aquaporin-4 (AQP4)-IgG, the disease may also occur as a paraneoplastic syndrome in rare instances. In these cases, the expression of AQP4 by the tumor is likely the trigger of the autoimmune response.

CASE PRESENTATION

We describe the case of a 32-year-old woman who presented with progressive tetraparesis, cranial involvement, respiratory failure, and spinal cord MRI compatible with longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis, few days after being diagnosed with a T3N1M0 triple-negative right breast cancer. Due to the history of concurrent breast cancer and after ruling out metastatic spinal cord involvement, the possibility of a paraneoplastic origin was raised. AQP4-IgG were found in the serum and CSF by cell-based assay, confirming the diagnosis of NMOSD. The patient was treated with corticosteroids, plasma exchange, and rituximab. Concomitantly, breast cancer therapy was started with an adapted neoadjuvant chemotherapy scheme based on carboplatin and paclitaxel. An initial slight improvement slowed down; so, a right mastectomy with lymphadenectomy was performed. Expression of AQP4 was demonstrated in the tumor. The patient presented a significant neurological improvement after combined treatment regaining muscular balance and strength in upper and lower extremities.

CONCLUSION

NMOSD may have a paraneoplastic origin associated with breast cancer and the importance of its early detection since the combination of tumoral and immunosuppressive therapy may improve the patient's prognosis.

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) associated with cancer: A systematic review

NMOSD: is a disease shown to be highly associated with other diseases such as autoimmune diseases. There are a few reports of this association with cancer. So, this systematic review aimed to obtain a broad understanding on the cancers associated in NMOSD, including the source of common perceptions and assumptions in this regard.

METHODS

in this study, we systematically searched the PubMed, EMBASE, SCOPUS, Web of Sciences, Proquest, Ovid, conference proceedings, and reference lists of the retrieved articles. All NMOSD cases who met the last version of criteria for its diagnosis, which reported the patients with a history of cancer before or after the onset of neurological symptoms without time limitations, and those who were referred as paraneoplastic neuromyelitis optica in articles published in English language (both the abstract & full text), were assessed. Finally, each study was critically appraised.

RESULTS

Only 47 studies met the inclusion criteria, so they were assessed for qualitative synthesis. Considering the Euro network criteria, only 62 cases met this issue. The mean age of 52.21 ± 17.14 and 52.16 ± 17.21 was reported for cancer and NMOSD cases with female predominance (79%), respectively. The most reported organ in the cancer population were genitourinary (n = 14, 22.3%), breast (n = 12, 19.4%), lung (n = 12, 19.3%), gastrointestinal (n = 7, 11.3%), and hematology (n = 6, 9.7%), respectively.

CONCLUSION

In older NMOSD patients without suspicious symptoms, we recommend paying more attention to lung, breast and genitourinary (especially ovary) cancer screening. Also, cancer resection had positive effect on the attack numbers after receiving treatment and NMOSD recovery.

Para-neoplastic optic neuritis presenting in a child with fusion positive localised para-testicular alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma

We present the case of a 13 year old boy, with sudden onset painful unilateral visual loss, prior to commencing chemotherapy for alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. Cases of para-neoplastic optic neuritis have been reported in adult cancer patients, however there are no published reports of this phenomenon occurring in children. Our patient had full recovery of his vision, following 6 weeks treatment with steroids, immunoglobulins and standard chemotherapy as per high risk arm of European pediatric soft tissue sarcoma group (EpSSG) Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) 2005 guidelines. Our case highlights that para-neoplastic optic neuritis can occur in children. In pediatric patients presenting with optic neuritis and normal auto-antibody screen, an occult or underlying tumor should be considered.

Paraneoplastic neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders: a case series

Aquaporin-4 antibody (AQP4-IgG) neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) are rare idiopathic autoimmune diseases, presenting with optic neuritis (ON), longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis (LETM), and brainstem syndromes and a prevalence range between 0.5 and 4/100,000. Only 3% to 25% of NMOSD have been described as a paraneoplastic (PN) syndrome (PNNMOSD). Both idiopathic NMOSD (INMOSD) and PNNMOSD cases mostly affect females, but PNNMOSD usually presents with a spinal cord or brainstem involvement in elderly patients. Few cases of both malignancies (for the majority breast or lung cancer) and benign tumors (monoclonal gammopathy) were previously reported. Currently, there is no consensus on treatment approach for PNNMOSD (only surgical removal or surgery combined with chronic immunosuppression). Here, we present a series of three newly diagnosed PNNMOSD cases, who differ from each other for demographic and clinical features, tumor association, long-term treatment, and outcome. We propose that a PN etiology should be considered always whenever a new diagnosis of NMOSD is made, not only in patients over 50 years old or in spinal cord/brainstem lesions presentations. Our findings add to existing evidence and raise awareness on PNNMOSD. We enhance the importance for the clinicians of recognizing tumor symptoms and signs whenever a NMOSD is newly diagnosed.