Rituximab for treatment of opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome in neuroblastoma.

Opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome (OMS) is a rare paraneoplastic syndrome that occurs in 2%-3% of patients with neuroblastoma. The cause of this syndrome is believed to be immune mediated, but the exact mechanism still remains unclear. There is an urgent need to improve our current strategies for treating patients with OMS, as many patients have significant long-term neurologic deficits and behavior disorders with current treatment approaches. Therapies that have shown to improve symptoms in these patients have ranged from ACTH and corticosteroids, to intravenous gammaglobulin and plasmapheresis. We report our experience with Rituximab in a patient with neuroblastoma and OMS. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.