Association between neuronal autoantibodies and cognitive impairment in patients with lung cancer

A cross-sectional study among 167 consecutive patients with lung cancer, found neuronal autoantibodies in 37% of patients; 45% of patients with SCLC and 34% of patients with NSCLC were autoantibody positive. Patients with neuronal autoantibodies had increased odds of cognitive impairment compared with autoantibody negative patients. Seventeen percent of patients had autoantibodies against currently unknown neuronal antigens, which were also associated with higher odds of cognitive impairment. Autoantibodies might represent a potentially treatable mechanism of immune-mediated cognitive impairment among patients with lung cancer.