[POEMS syndrome: a review of the literature]

POEMS syndrome is a rare multisystemic paraneoplastic disorder. That is associated with a plasma cell dyscrasia. It is characterized by peripheral neuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, M protein, skin changes and other systemic features. The pathogenesis of POEMS is not well understood, but overproduction of vascular endothelial growth factor is likely to be responsible for most of characteristic symptoms. There are no randomized controlled trials in patients with POEMS syndrome but are therapies which benefit these patients, including radiation therapy, chemotherapy, cortico-steroids and stem cell transplant.