Paraneoplastic Neurologic Disorders

- Head, Department of Neurology, Azienda Provinciale per I Servizi Sanitari (APSS) and University of Trento - Santa Chiara Hospital - 33100 TRENTO - Coordinator of a European Commission project on Paraneoplastic Neurological Syndromes (Concerted Action –PNS EURONETWORK – Fifth Framework Programme QLG1-CT-2002-01756). - Coordinator of a Specific Support Action of the European Commission on Paraneoplastic Neurological Syndromes (Sixth Framework Programme LSSM-CT-2005-518174). - Former Vice President of the Italian Neurological Society (SIN) Sean Pittock, M.D., is a consultant in the Department of Neurology and has a joint appointment in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology. He holds the academic rank of professor of neurology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. He currently serves as director of the Neuroimmunology Laboratory and is the Marilyn A. Park and Moon S. Park, M.D., Director of the Center for Multiple Sclerosis and Autoimmune Neurology. He joined the staff of Mayo Clinic in 2005.Dr. Pittock’s research and clinical interests include autoimmune neurological disorders, paraneoplastic diseases, neuromyelitis optica and multiple sclerosis. His research focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of multiple sclerosis and autoimmune disorders that target the central and peripheral nervous systems. He founded the Autoimmune Neurology Clinic at Mayo Clinic in 2006, which has allowed the development of a unique translational practice extending the laboratory's serological findings directly from bench to bedside. He has been involved in cutting edge trials of novel immunotherapies to treat NMO and other autoimmune neurologic diseases. He has been invited to give over 100 presentations on his research and has authored over 275 journal articles, abstracts and other written publications.He is currently the Chair of the Autoimmune Neurology Special Interest Group at the American Neurological Association and directs the educational program on Neuromyelitis Optica at the American Academy of Neurology.Dr. Pittock serves on numerous professional societies and associations, including the Minnesota Medical Association and American Academy of Neurology, and is a committee member of the American Neurological Association.

Section I. Introduction and Overview
1. Introduction and overview of immunopathological mechanisms and future directions
2. Changing landscape in the field of paraneoplastic neurology: Personal Perspectives over a 35-year career
3. Pathogenesis and immunopathology of paraneoplastic disorders

Section II. Paraneoplastic neurological syndromes
4. Epidemiology of paraneoplastic neurologic syndromes
5. Clinical approach to diagnosis of paraneoplastic neurological syndromes
6. Overview of treatment strategies in paraneoplastic neurological syndromes
7. Methods to Detect Paraneoplastic Antibodies
8. Paraneoplastic encephalitis
9. Autoimmune and paraneoplastic seizures
10. Paraneoplastic Cerebellar and Brainstem Disorders
11. Paraneoplastic/autoimmune myelopathies
12. Paraneoplastic vision loss
13. Paraneoplastic movement disorders
14. Movement disorders associated with pediatric encephalitis
15. Paraneoplastic neuropathies and peripheral nerve hyperexcitability disorders
16. Paraneoplastic autonomic neuropathies and GI dysmotility
17. Myasthenia Gravis – Pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment
18. Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome
19. Paraneoplastic myopathies

Section III. Paraneoplastic autoantibodies
20. Intracellular paraneoplastic autoantibodies
21. Antibodies to neural cell surface and synaptic proteins in paraneoplastic neurologic syndromes
22. Optimizing the diagnostic performance of neural antibody testing for paraneoplastic and autoimmune encephalitis in clinical practice

Section IV. Paraneoplastic neurological and autoantibody accompaniments of cancer
23. Paraneoplastic Autoimmune Neurological Disorders associated with Thymoma
24. Paraneoplastic Neurologic Manifestations of Neuroendocrine tumors
25. Paraneoplastic Neurological Syndrome associated with Gynaecological and Breast malignancies
26. Hematological malignancies and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
27. Paraneoplastic neurological syndrome and autoantibody accompaniments of germ cell tumors

Section V. Neurological complications of cancer immunotherapy
28. Neurological manifestations of autoimmunity with immune checkpoint inhibitors