[Paraneoplastic neurological syndrome in 12 children]

To investigate the basic clinical characteristics of paraneoplastic neurological syndrome (PNS) in children.

To retrospectively analyze the clinical data of 12 PNS children who were hospitalized in neurology department in Beijing Children's Hospital from 2010 to 2011. Some patients were followed up after surgery.

In 12 patients with PNS, 11 were male and 1 was female. The mean onset age were (30.5 ± 15.3) months. The mean duration from neurological symptom onset to finding out of tumor was (112.7 ± 154.4) days. The onset of the disease in 2 patients was acute, in 3 was subacute and in the other 7 was chronic (2 of 7 had 2 to 3 relapses). Of 12 patients, 11 had symptoms of ataxia (3 patients also had opsoclonus and myoclonus, OMS), 1 had weakness of limbs at onset and then had ataxia. Nine of 12 patients had surgery, and pathologic diagnosis was neuroblastoma and ganglioneuroma. Six patients were followed-up for 8 to 21 months. One patient had a little improvement and 5 almost recovered.

The PNS children can have neurological symptoms only at the onset and there were no particular evidence of tumor. It is prone to misdiagnosis. The prognosis of PNS in children was poor.