Acute Polyradiculoneuropathy in a Patient With Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Cervix: A Diagnostic Challenge

TL;DR

A patient with cervical cancer developed a rare nerve disorder that mimicked Guillain-Barré syndrome, highlighting the difficulty in diagnosing such cases.

Contribution

This case report highlights a rare temporal association between acute polyradiculoneuropathy and cervical squamous cell carcinoma.

Findings

The patient presented with acute ascending flaccid weakness resembling Guillain-Barré syndrome.

A previously unrecognized squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix was identified during the diagnostic workup.

This clinical association between the neuropathy and cervical cancer is rarely reported in the literature.

Abstract

Acute polyradiculoneuropathies are a heterogeneous group of disorders that may present with rapidly progressive, symmetrical weakness and can mimic Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). We report the case of a 60-year-old woman who presented with acute ascending flaccid weakness of all four limbs, consistent with a severe acute polyradiculoneuropathy clinically resembling GBS. During the diagnostic workup, a previously unrecognized squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix was identified. This case report aims to describe a rare temporal association between an acute polyradiculoneuropathy with GBS-like features and cervical squamous cell carcinoma, while highlighting the diagnostic challenges and differential considerations in this clinical context. To our knowledge, this clinical association has been rarely reported in the literature.

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