Anti-amphiphysin antibody-associated paraneoplastic brainstem encephalitis with pruritus and dysphagia as the first symptoms: a case report

Abstract

Abstract Anti-amphiphysin antibodies are uncommonly detected in paraneoplastic neurologic syndromes (PNS). If this happens, it is likely to present as a stiff-person syndrome (SPS). Here, we report the first case of PNS with pruritus as the first complaint,whose serum examination showed anti-amphiphysin antibodies IG+++, and the lung puncture confirmed small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). During the progression of the disease, the patient developed dysphagia and anxiety. With chemotherapy and paroxetine 20mg/d, his symptoms significantly improved. This case report emphasizes that clinicians should consider diagnoses other than anxiety states or esophageal cancer in a patient with pruritus and dysphagia, such as PNS.