Anti-Hu Positive Antibodies and Small Cell Carcinoma: A Single Center Review

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC), having properties of neuroendocrine cells, accounts for a small (15 percent) but significant percent of all newly diagnosed lung cancers and is distinguished from non-small cell lung cancer by its rapid doubling time, high growth fraction and the early development of widespread metastases. Therefore, investigation into early diagnosis and treatment is crucial. One sequela of SCLC is a paraneoplastic neurological syndrome usually mediated by a high titer of anti-Hu antibodies, a disease which can present in several variations of paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis. The presence of anti-Hu antibodies in patient serum, even at a low titer, may serve as a diagnostic marker for SCLC and as a model for antibody-based early cancer detection. Furthermore, anti-Hu titers may eventually function as a prognostic indicator and trending titers may be a way to monitor treatment of SCLC and associated paraneoplastic syndromes.

In this retrospective chart review from a single hospital, we review all patients who had positive anti-Hu antibodies and discuss level of titers at diagnosis, outcomes, and length of survival.

We describe three cases of positive anti-Hu antibodies and document their diagnosis of SCLC and outcomes.

Anti-Hu antibodies can be used as a diagnostic tool for aiding in the diagnosis of SCLC. Anti-Hu antibodies may be able to be followed as a marker of progression of the disease.