autoimmune paraneoplastic disease

A condition that can occur in some people with cancer when the body’s immune system becomes overactive and attacks healthy cells while trying to kill cancer cells. Autoimmune paraneoplastic diseases may cause damage to many different tissues and organs, including the skin, blood, kidneys, nervous system, and muscles and bones. These diseases occur most often in middle-aged adults with thymoma, lymphoma, or cancers of the breast, lung, or ovary. Signs and symptoms may occur before a cancer diagnosis is made.