[Subacute neuropathy, multiple cancers, and Gougerot-Sjögren syndrome: contribution of anti-Hu antibody]

Abstract

We report the case of a patient presenting a subacute, predominantly sensory neuropathy. The work up revealed a Sjögren's syndrome and a breast carcinoma. The presence of anti-Hu antibodies, identified by Western Blot using purified recombinant HuD protein, and the absence of the Hu antigen in the breast carcinoma ruled out the responsibility of the Sjögren's syndrome or breast carcinoma. In this context, the most likely diagnosis was a subacute neuropathy associated with small cell lung cancer, which was indeed discovered 3 years later.