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Anti-Hu antibodies (Hu-Abs) were positive in 40 patients with paraneoplastic sensory neuropathy (PSN) in a series of 126 patients who presented with clinical features suggestive of PSN. The specificity of Hu-Abs was 99% and the sensitivity was 82%. Nine (82%) PSN patients were Hu-Ab-negative and there sera did not harbor other specific antineuronal or antiganglioside antibodies. Small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) was the leading neoplasm in the Hu-Ab-positive (79%) and the Hu-Ab-negative (44%) groups. This study confirms the value of Hu-Abs for the diagnosis of PSN and SCLC and also emphasizes that in patients with possible PSN, the absence of Hu-Abs does not exclude cancer, particularly in those patients with risk factors for SCLC. |
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