Neurological symptoms associated with tumors typically develop gradually over days to weeks, often preceding the tumor’s discovery. These symptoms may include:
- Difficulty walking or swallowing
- Loss of muscle tone
- Impaired fine motor coordination
- Slurred speech
- Memory loss
- Vision problems
- Sleep disturbances
- Dementia
- Seizures
- Sensory loss in the limbs
- Vertigo or dizziness
Paraneoplastic syndromes are a group of rare disorders triggered by an immune response to cancer. Examples include Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome, stiff-person syndrome, encephalomyelitis, myasthenia gravis, cerebellar degeneration, limbic or brainstem encephalitis, neuromyotonia, opsoclonus, and sensory neuropathy. These syndromes can cause a range of neurological symptoms and are often associated with certain types of cancer.