Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder in Paraneoplastic Cerebellar Degeneration: Improvement with Immunotherapy.

Abstract

STUDY OBJECTIVES:

To report two female patients with paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration (PCD) related to breast cancer that presented with rapid eye movement-sleep behavior disorder (RBD) and improved sleep symptoms with immunotherapy.

METHODS:

The two patients were evaluated through clinical scale and polysomnography before and after therapy with intravenous immunoglobulin.

RESULTS:

RBD was successfully treated with immunotherapy in both patients. Score on the RBD screening questionnaire dropped from 10 to 1 or 0, allied with the normalization of polysomnographic findings.

CONCLUSIONS:

A marked improvement in RBD after immunotherapy in PCD raises the hypothesis that secondary RBD may be an immune-mediated sleep disorder.

• Authors: Thiago Cardoso Vale, Lucila Bizari Fernandes do Prado, Gilmar Fernandes do Prado, Orlando Graziani Povoas Barsottini, José Luiz Pedroso
• Journal: Sleep (Sleep) Vol. 39 Issue 1 Pg. 117-20 (Jan 01 2016) ISSN: 1550-9109 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 26414894 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)
• Copyright: © 2016 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Topics

• Adult
• Aged
• Breast Neoplasms (complications)
• Female
• Humans
• Immunotherapy
• Paraneoplastic Cerebellar Degeneration (complications, immunology, therapy)
• Polysomnography
• REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (complications, immunology, therapy)
• Sleep