Most neurological lesions in cancer patients are progressive, have a profound influence on the quality of life and can be fatal. Management of the situation requires rapid identification of the nature and location of the problem as the treatment outcome depends as much on the speed of diagnosis as on the subsequent therapy. While modern neuroimages provides invaluable clues to the diagnosis, they need to be interpreted in the light of clinical data. The clinical examination remains the cornerstone of the differential diagnosis of neurological lesions affecting the cancer patient. Neurological disorders are a consequence not only of primary tumours of the central and peripheral nervous system but also of systemic malignancy. One in five patients with disseminated malignancy develop neurological complications other than neurogenic pain. The majority of neurological problems are a direct consequence of metastatic disease or the result of metabolic disorders. However, some disorders are due to anti-neoplastic treatments or the administration of drugs.
The incidence of CNS infections and vascular lesions is also increased in malignant disease, and a small proportion of neurological disorders are paraneoplastic, resulting from a remote effect of cancer on the nervous system. This book, written by a neurologist and an oncologist, aims to help the clinician to identify and locate the underlying neurological lesion in a cancer patient, and to make a quick therapeutic decision. Diagnostic and therapeutic algorithms are included with an emphasis on the more common and potentially treatable conditions. It should be read by neuro-oncologists, medical oncologists, radiation therapists, neurosurgeons and all those involved in the management of cancer patients.
Indice testuale
1. Altered consciousness; 2. Cognitive and behavioural disorders; 3. Epileptic seizures; 4. Cerebellar dysfunction; 5. Visual alterations; 6. Cranial nerve and brainstem lesions; 7. Spinal cord lesions; 8. Diffuse lesions of the peripheral nervous system; 9. Focal lesions of the peripheral nervous system; 10. Muscle disorders and fatigue; 11. Endocrine disorders caused by lesions of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis; 12. Therapy of the main neurologic malignant diseases
