Thymic Carcinoma Associated with Cerebellar Degeneration

We present the case of a 57-year-old man with ataxia and clinical and radiological features of cerebellar degeneration. Computed tomography showed a mediastinal mass and the patient was diagnosed with thymic carcinoma. Paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration is aninfrequent disorder and its association with thymic carcinoma very rare.

Unexplained subacute neurological symptoms in an adult patient should beconsidered in the possibility of a paraneoplastic syndrome. In patients over 50 years of age, acute or subacute cerebellar degeneration is paraneoplastic in 50% of cases.Small-cell lung cancer is the most common cancer-causing paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration (PCD). Despite this, mediastinal tumours such as thymus neoplasms should not be ruled out in the differential diagnosis.Antineuronal antibodies are not detected in 40% of patients with PCD, sothe exclusion of other aetiologies or the demonstration of cancer formsthe basis of the final diagnosis.