Paraneoplastic syndrome

Motility disorders represent the most common form of gastrointestinal involvement during malignancy and belong to the wide spectrum of paraneoplastic neurologic syndromes (PNSs). These conditions result from an immune-mediate injury to the enteric nervous system (ENS). Paraneoplastic motility disorders may affect most of the alimentary tract, such as chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction, or manifest by involving segments of the GI tract, e.g. esophagus (achalasia), stomach (gastroparesis) and colon (severe slow transit chronic constipation). Compared to nonparaneoplastic, paraneoplastic dysmotility show a more severe clinical course characterized by an extremely disabling disease, with rapid progression and poor outcome.