Subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord concomitant with gastric cancer

Intern Med. 2006;45(14):875-7. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.45.1811. Epub 2006 Aug 15.

Abstract

We report a rare case of subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord concomitant with gastric cancer. A 67-year-old man was admitted because of posterior column symptoms, pyramidal tract sign and peripheral neuropathy with severe hyperchromic anemia. He was treated with mecobalamin 1 mg IM, after which his anemia and neurological signs recovered. He was diagnosed as having subacute combined degeneration with pernicious anemia. Subsequent stomach biopsy revealed gastric cancer, and the patient underwent gastrectomy. It is a well known association that chronic atrophic gastritis is associated with gastric cancer or subacute combined degeneration. Our findings suggest that in this case subacute combined degeneration and gastric cancer are independent of each other; rather, both resulted from chronic atrophic gastritis.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Anemia, Hypochromic / complications*
  • Anemia, Hypochromic / drug therapy
  • Anemia, Hypochromic / etiology
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Nerve Degeneration / etiology*
  • Nerve Degeneration / pathology
  • Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / drug therapy
  • Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / pathology
  • Spinal Cord / pathology
  • Spinal Cord Diseases / etiology*
  • Spinal Cord Diseases / pathology
  • Stomach Neoplasms / complications*
  • Stomach Neoplasms / pathology
  • Vitamin B 12 / analogs & derivatives
  • Vitamin B 12 / therapeutic use

Substances

  • mecobalamin
  • Vitamin B 12