Progressive limb weakness in a 51 years old Chinese man

Abstract

A 51 years old Chinese man, a chronic smoker presented with a four months history of progressive weakness which started in the lower limbs. Examination reveals a mixed sensorimotor neuropathy. He was initially diagnosed to have chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy but later readmitted and discovered to have a small cell lung carcinoma with lymph node metastasis. Reevaluation of the patient then suggested that the initial presentation was that of paraneoplastic sensorimotor neuropathy due to underlying small cell carcinoma. The background of paraneoplastic sensorimotor neuropathy is briefly reviewed.