Paraneoplastic limbic encephalopathy as a nonmetastatic complication of small cell lung cancer.

A 52-year-old man who presented symptoms compatible with paraneoplastic limbic encephalopathy (PLE) was found to have small cell lung cancer. Antineoplastic therapy resulted in complete remission. Because the neuropsychiatric symptoms are potentially reversible, it is important to recognize these symptoms as a manifestation of malignancy so that treatment can be instituted.