Walsh & Hoyt: Necrotizing Myelopathy

Necrotizing myelopathy is the rarest of the central nervous system remote effects of cancer. Indeed, its existence as a distinct paraneoplastic syndrome was unknown for many years until several pathologically verified cases associated with systemic malignancies were reported. Although necrotizing myelopathy may be the initial manifestation of an occult neoplasm, it more often develops after a cancer has established itself. It may also occur in patients previously treated for cancer who have no clinical or pathologic evidence of malignancy. A variety of malignancies can be associated with necrotizing myelopathy, including Hodgkins disease, lymphoma, acute leukemia, and cancers of the lung, breast, ovary, stomach, prostate, thyroid, and kidney.