Paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis revealing a small cell carcinoma of the lung

Abstract

Introduction: Paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis is a rare disease, usually associated with small cell lung cancer. Case report: We report in this publication the cases with different age brackets, who presented with various neurological symptoms such as repetitive seizures or anterograde amnesia. Cerebral CT-scan, cerebral MRI and anti onco-neural paraneoplastic antibodies were suggesting the diagnosis of paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis. Etiological exploration lead to the diagnosis of locally advanced small cell carcinoma of the lung. We started rapidly a curative protocol associating chemotherapy and sequential thoracic radiotherapy. Conclusions: we insist on the diversity of the imaging findings, immunological analyses and outcome on treatment of this entity. Prognostic impact remains also unclear. Keywords: Limbic encephalitis, Paraneoplastic, Small cell carcinoma, Antibodies, Magnetic resonance imaging