Although this treatment would seem to make sense, however, many patients do not benefit. As a result, surgery is only performed in highly selected cases. The underlying cause of such syndromes is not certain, but it is theorized that these syndromes arise as a result of the body launching an immunological attack against the cells of the nervous system. It is thought that the presence of systemic cancer causes antibodies to be made against the tumor cells. Some of these antibodies, however, become directed against nerve cells, thus giving rise to the host of diseases which constitute the paraneoplastic syndromes.
Paraneoplastic syndromes are very rare.
Cerebellar degeneration is usually secondary to cancers of the breast, ovary, and female genital tract. Sensory neuropathy refers to the degeneration of nerve cells specialized for the appreciation of sensations from the body surface. This syndrome usually arises secondary to lymphoma. Encephalomyelitis is a term used to describe inflammation of any part of the brain or spinal cord. Different forms of encephalomyelitis can arise as the result of a remote tumor.