Glimpse into Routine EMG Findings of Patients with Malign Neoplasms

Neurological complications in cancer patients may arise due to direct tumor effects, treatment-related toxicity, or paraneoplastic syndromes. Neurological complications in patients with neoplasms can affect all structures of the peripheral nervous system, either alone or in combination. We reviewed the electrodiagnostic test database of our EMG unit between 2017 and 2024. The clinical and electrophysiological data from 322 patients with cancer were collected. Descriptive statistics were reported and electrophysiological findings were compared between the two groups with the largest number of patients (gynecological and breast cancer groups). Among 322 patients, 189 (58.6%) had polyneuropathy, 21 (6.5%) had myopathy, 63 (19.5%) exhibited spinal root/anterior horn involvement, and 4 (1.2%) had plexopathy. Additionally, 19 patients developed nerve damage postoperatively, with spinal accessory nerve injury being the most common (63%). Electrophysiological findings related to anticancer drugs were detected in 57 patients (17.7%). Significant differences were found between gynecological and breast cancer groups regarding peroneal compound muscle action potential amplitude (p= 0.007) and sural sensory nerve action potential amplitude (p= 0.03). To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to report the routine EMG findings of patients with oncological and hematological diseases with a broad approach design. Patients with plexopathy, neuropathy, and myopathy were examined in combination. Therefore, our findings will provide valuable insights into the electrophysiological findings of patients with oncological and hematological diseases. Keywords: Cancer, Chemotherapy, EMG, Myopathy-Polyneuropathy, Neurotoxicity