Summary
Muscles from patients who had died from malignant tumours were examined with regard to changes in the intramuscular nerve twigs and the axon terminals or the motor end-plates, respectively. Three muscles from each of 120 cases were obtained at autopsy and stained with conventional methods. Nineteen cases with pronounced small-group and sometimes large-group atrophy were selected. Myelin and axon preparations displayed various changes of the small nerve branches and the axon terminals. Their significance for the atrophy frequently observed in the muscles of cancer patients is discussed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Bielschowsky, M.: Über Myatonia congenita. J. Psychol. Neurol.38, 199–233 (1929)
Coërs, C.: The vital staining of muscle biopsies with methylene blue. J. Neurol. Psychiatry15, 211–215 (1952)
Coërs, C.: Etude histologique et histochimique de la jonction neuromusculaire dans les amyotonies congénitales. Acta Neurol. Belg.54, 69–77 (1954)
Coërs, C., Pelc, S.: Un cas d'amyotonie congénitale caractérisé par une anomalie histologique et histochimique de la jonction neuromusculaire. Acta Neurol. Belg.54, 166–173 (1954)
Coërs, C., Telerman-Toppet, N., Gérard, J.-M.: Terminal innervation ratio in neuromuscular disease. I. Methods and controls. Arch. Neurol.29, 210–215 (1973)
Croft, P. B., Wilkinson, M.: The incidence of carcinomatous neuromyopathy in patients with various types of carcinoma. Brain88, 427–434 (1965)
Croft, P. B., Urich, H., Wilkinson, M.: Peripheral neuropathy of sensorimotor type associated with malignant disease. Brain90, 31–66 (1967)
Edström, L., Kugelberg, E.: Histochemical composition, distribution of fibres and fatiguability of single motor units. J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry31, 424–433 (1968)
Harriman, D. F. G.: Muscle cachexia. Some aspects of its pathology and clinical features. In: Proc. Vth Int. Congr. Neuropathology, Int. Congr. Ser.100, pp. 677–683. Amsterdam: Excerpta Medica 1965
Henson, R. A., Russel, D. S., Wilkinson, M.: Carcinomatous neuropathy and myopathy. A clinical and pathological study. Brain77, 82–121 (1954)
Henson, R. A., Urich, H.: Peripheral neuropathy associated with malignant disease. In: Vinken, P. J., Bruyn, G. W. (eds.) Handbook of clinical neurology, Vol. 8, pp. 131–148. Amsterdam: North Holland 1970
Hildebrand, J., Coërs, C.: Neuromuscular function in patients with malignant tumours. Brain90, 67–83 (1967)
Krücke, W.: Histopathologie der Polyneuritis und Polyneuropathie. Dtsch. Z. Nervenheilk.180, 1–39 (1959)
Krücke, W.: Die Erkrankungen der peripheren Nerven. In: Kaufmann, E., Staemmler, M. (Hrsg.) Lehrbuch der speziellen pathologischen Anatomie, Vol. III/2, S. 750–793. Berlin: de Gruyter 1961
Marin, O. S. M., Denny-Brown, D.: Changes in skeletal muscle associated with cachexia. Am. J. Pathol.41, 23–39 (1962)
McLeod, J. G.: Carcinomatous neuropathy. In: Dyck, P. J., Thomas, S. K., Lambert, E. H. (eds.) Peripheral neuropathy, Vol. II, pp. 1301–1313. Philadelphia: Saunders 1975
Meyenburg, H. von: Allgemeine pathologische Anatomie der Muskelfaser. 1. Regressive Veränderungen. Allgemeines. In: Henke, F., Lubarsch, O. (Hrsg.) Handbuch der speziellen pathologischen Anatomie und Histologie, Vol, IX/1, S. 402–499. Berlin: Springer 1929
Rebeiz, J. J., Moore, M. J., Holden, E. M., Adams, R. D.: Variations in muscle status with age and systemic diseases. Acta Neuropathol. (Berl.)22, 127–144 (1972)
Scelsi, R., Pinelli, R.: Subclinical myopathic findings in patients affected by malignant tumours. Acta Neuropathol. (Berl.)38, 103–108 (1977)
Schmitt, H. P.: Quantitative analysis of voluntary muscles from routine autopsy material, with special reference to the problem of remote carcinomatous changes (“Neuromyopathy”). Acta Neuropathol. (Berl.)43, 143–152 (1978a)
Schmitt, H. P.: Involvement of peripheral nervous mechanisms in the “remote effects” of cancer on skeletal muscles? A light microscopic study on autopsy material. In: Canal, N., Pozza, G. (eds.) Peripheral neuropathies/developments in neurology, Vol. 1, pp. 467–474. Amsterdam: Elsevier/North Holland 1978b
Shy, G. M., Silverstein, J.: A study on the effects upon the motor unit by remote malignancy. Brain88, 515–528 (1965)
Sluga, E.: Polyneuropathien. Typen und Differenzierung. Ergebnisse bioptischer Untersuchungen. Berlin, Heidelberg, New York: Springer 1974
Trojaborg, W., Frantzen, E., Andersen, I.: Peripheral neuropathy and myopathy associated with carcinoma of the lung. Brain92, 71–82 (1969)
Walsh, J. C.: The neuropathy of multiple myeloma. an electrophysiological and histological study. Arch. Neurol.25, 404–414 (1971)
Warmolts, J. R., Peter, K., Lewis, R. J., Engel, W. K.: Type II muscle fibre atrophy (II-atrophy): an early systemic effect of cancer. Neurology (Minneap.)25, 374 (1975)
Webster, H. de F., Schröder, J. M., Asbury, A. K., Adams, R. D.: The role of Schwann cells in the formation of ‘onion bulbs’ found in chronic neuropathies. J. Neuropathol. Exp. Neurol.26, 276–299 (1967)
Woolf, A. L.: The pathology of the intramuscular nerve endings. In: Proc. Int. Congr. Neuropathology, Int. Congr. Ser.100, pp. 641–647. Amsterdam: Excerpata medica 1965
Woolf, A. L., Coërs, C.: Pathological anatomy of the intramuscular nerve endings. In: Walton, J. N. (ed.) Disorders of voluntary muscle, 3rd ed., pp. 274–309. Edinburgh, London, New York: Livingstone 1976
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Dedicated to Prof. Dr. W. Doerr, Head of the Institute of Pathology of the University of Heidelberg on the occasion of his 65th anniversary
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Schmitt, H.P. Skeletal muscular atrophy in malignant tumour diseases: Neurogenic or unspecific?. Acta Neuropathol 48, 149–152 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00691157
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00691157