National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, a program of the National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences

Paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration


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Paraneoplastic syndromes are a group of rare disorders that include paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration (PCD). Paraneoplastic syndromes are thought to result from an abnormal immune response to an underlying (and often undetected) malignant tumor. PCD is a rare, non-metastatic complication of cancer. PCD is typically thought to be caused by antibodies generated against tumor cells. Instead of just attacking the cancer cells, the cancer-fighting antibodies also attack normal cells in the cerebellum.[1][2] PCD occurs most often in individuals with the following cancers: ovarian cancer, cancer of the uterus, breast cancer, small-cell lung cancer, and Hodgkin lymphoma. Symptoms of PCD may include dizziness, loss of coordination, blurred vision, nystagmus, ataxia, and speech difficulties.[1]
Last updated: 5/11/2015

Research helps us better understand diseases and can lead to advances in diagnosis and treatment. This section provides resources to help you learn about medical research and ways to get involved.

Patient Registry

  • The Autoimmune Registry supports research for Paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration by collecting information about patients with this and other autoimmune diseases. You can join the registry to share your information with researchers and receive updates about participating in new research studies. Learn more about registries.

Support and advocacy groups can help you connect with other patients and families, and they can provide valuable services. Many develop patient-centered information and are the driving force behind research for better treatments and possible cures. They can direct you to research, resources, and services. Many organizations also have experts who serve as medical advisors or provide lists of doctors/clinics. Visit the group’s website or contact them to learn about the services they offer. Inclusion on this list is not an endorsement by GARD.

Organizations Supporting this Disease

Social Networking Websites

  • The International Autoimmune Encephalitis Society Facebook group offers educational support through this forum.
  • RareConnect has an online community for Paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration. RareConnect is a platform where rare disease patients, families and patient organizations can develop online communities and conversations across continents and languages. RareConnect partners with the world's leading rare disease patient groups to offer global online communities allowing people to connect around issues which affect them while living with a rare disease.

Organizations Providing General Support

These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

In-Depth Information

  • Medscape Reference provides information on this topic. You may need to register to view the medical textbook, but registration is free.
  • The Monarch Initiative brings together data about this condition from humans and other species to help physicians and biomedical researchers. Monarch’s tools are designed to make it easier to compare the signs and symptoms (phenotypes) of different diseases and discover common features. This initiative is a collaboration between several academic institutions across the world and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Visit the website to explore the biology of this condition.
  • The Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders. Each entry has a summary of related medical articles. It is meant for health care professionals and researchers. OMIM is maintained by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 
  • PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss Paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.

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  1. Mehdi, Abbas. Paraneoplastic Cerebellar Degeneration. Medscape. Nov. 4, 2014; http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1156965-overview.
  2. Paraneoplastic syndromes of the nervous system. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. April 30, 2014; http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/paraneoplastic-syndromes/basics/definition/con-20028459.