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Case Reports: Rare disease
Glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) antibody-positive paraneoplastic stiff person syndrome associated with mediastinal liposarcoma
  1. Binoy Yohannan1,
  2. Arthi Sridhar1,
  3. Johncy John Kachira2 and
  4. Syed H Jafri1
  1. 1Hematology and Oncology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
  2. 2Health Services Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
  1. Correspondence to Dr Arthi Sridhar; artshri{at}gmail.com

Abstract

Stiff person syndrome (SPS) is a rare, debilitating neurological illness characterised by rigidity and spasms of the axial muscles, causing severe restrictions to mobility. SPS can be classic, partial or paraneoplastic. We report a case of a young woman who presented with seizures and painful spasms of the thoracolumbar muscles who was subsequently diagnosed with SPS. Serological work revealed glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) antibodies and imaging showed a large mediastinal mass. The patient underwent surgical resection of the mediastinal mass and final pathology revealed well-differentiated mediastinal liposarcoma. She received five sessions of plasma exchange and her neurological symptoms gradually improved after surgery. This case highlights a rare case of GAD antibody-positive paraneoplastic SPS associated with mediastinal liposarcoma.

  • Cancer intervention
  • Malignant disease and immunosuppression
  • Neurology
  • Movement disorders (other than Parkinsons)
  • Cancer

https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2022-250639

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors BY: conception, design and drafting of the manuscript. AS: acquisition, analysis and review of the manuscript critically for important intellectual content. JJK: data collection and critical review of the manuscript for intellectual content. SHJ: served as senior faculty and revised the manuscript for important intellectual content.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Case reports provide a valuable learning resource for the scientific community and can indicate areas of interest for future research. They should not be used in isolation to guide treatment choices or public health policy.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.