[Bronchial carcinoma and paraneoplastic neuromyopathy]

Paraneoplastic neurologic syndromes in patients suffering from bronchial carcinoma were found by Croft and Wilkinson (Croft et al. 1965, Croft and Wilkinson 1965) in 16%. We examined the question whether in patients suffering from bronchial carcinoma neurologic syndromes are as frequent as in a comparative group of patients with different bronchial diseases. Out of 99 patients 61 had histological proof of bronchial carcinoma, 38 were suffering from chronic inflammatory bronchial diseases. The groups were statistically comparable to each other. Cases with carcinoma in situ (TINOMO) showed no significant difference from patients without bronchial carcinoma. In patients who showed intrathoracic metastases of lymphatic ganglions we found neurologic syndromes in 31% (p less than 0.01). Differing from the extension of tumor metastases there was no correlation between duration and frequency of neurologic syndromes. This corresponds to the experience of our hospital in the last 10 years; 5.7% of all patients with extracerebral tumors showed neurologic syndromes, most frequently polyneuropathies. In 10-15% of a normal population one can find these symptoms (Skre 1972), this means they are polygenetic. We did not find frequently an oat cell carcinoma in our material. Cases in which the neuromyopathy preceeded the manifestation of the bronchial carcinoma were not seen. Altogether it can be stated that paraneoplastic neuromyopathies in patients suffering from bronchial carcinoma are more seldom than it was to be assumed from the anglo-saxon literature.