Abstract
Background:
Anti-Yo antibodies, which target the onconeural antigen cerebellar degeneration-related 2-like (CDR2L), have been only sporadically reported in patients with post-immune checkpoint inhibitor (post-ICI) neurological syndromes.
Objectives:
To analyze the clinical and tumor features of patients with post-ICI anti-Yo neurological syndromes identified in a national reference center.
Design:
Retrospective observational study.
Methods:
All patients with post-ICI neurological syndromes and anti-Yo antibody positivity confirmed in a national reference center (2019–2024) were included. Comparative genomic hybridization array, immunohistochemistry against CDR2L, and analysis of Yo immunoreactivity using biotinylated anti-Yo sera were performed on the available tumor samples.
Results:
In the five patients (4/5 female, median age 61 years) included, the neurological syndrome occurred after a median of 2 cycles of PD1 inhibitor. Four patients developed a rapidly progressive cerebellar syndrome (RPCS), while one presented with myelitis. All cases were severe (modified Rankin scale score 4–5) and did not improve with treatment. Cancer types were lung adenocarcinoma (2/5), endometrial serous carcinoma (2/5), and ovarian clear cell carcinoma (1/5). Anti-Yo antibodies were retrospectively detected before ICI initiation in one patient with RPCS and an ovarian tumor. This tumor showed a gain in the
Conclusion:
Post-ICI anti-Yo neurological syndromes may occur with atypical cancer associations, but mostly manifest with a RCPS indistinguishable from spontaneous anti-Yo paraneoplastic neurological syndromes, suggesting a similar immune-mediated attack on the cerebellum. The CDR2L antigen overexpression and the pre-ICI anti-Yo antibody positivity in the patient with ovarian cancer suggest that the ICI boosted a pre-formed, tumor-driven anti-Yo autoimmunity. Further studies are needed to clarify whether this mechanism applies to all patients and if other types of tumor alterations and/or immune dysfunctions could be involved.
Introduction
Paraneoplastic neurological syndromes (PNS) are rare autoimmune disorders that originate from the autosensitization against neural antigens ectopically expressed by tumor cells. 1 Recently, neurological disorders clinically indistinguishable from PNS have been reported in cancer patients following treatment by immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI).1,2 These PNS-like post-ICI disorders have clinical features and cancer/antibody associations similar to those of PNS occurring in ICI-naïve patients, suggesting shared pathogenic mechanisms.1,2 PNS with anti-Yo antibodies (anti-Yo PNS) is a type of PNS that manifests as a rapidly progressive cerebellar syndrome (RPCS), typically associated with ovarian and breast cancer, but has been reported only sporadically in ICI-treated patients.1,3–5 Meanwhile, accrued evidence suggests that tumor-specific features may trigger the immune tolerance breakdown in anti-Yo PNS. These features include somatic sequence variation, gene copy number variation, and/or protein overexpression of the major Yo antigen cerebellar degeneration-related 2-like (CDR2L), and they may be driven by specific oncogenesis pathways (e.g., HER2-driven oncogenesis for Yo breast cancer).3,4 Thus, we wondered whether post-ICI and spontaneous anti-Yo PNS shared the same immunopathogenesis, especially the causal tumor-related triggers. To investigate this, we analyzed the clinical and tumor features of patients with post-ICI anti-Yo neurological syndromes identified in a national reference center.
Methods
Patients and tumor samples
Of all ICI-treated patients identified in the database of the French reference center of PNS (July 2015–February 2024), we included those with a diagnosis of neurological immune-related adverse event (n-irAE) 7 and positivity for anti-Yo antibodies. Cases lacking clinical information, presenting alternative diagnoses, or without temporal correlation with ICI administration (i.e., pre-existing neurological syndromes not worsened after ICI treatment, or neurological syndromes appearing >12 months after the last ICI dose 7 ) were excluded (Figure 1). Anti-Yo antibodies were first detected by commercial line dots (PNS+2 blot; Ravo Diagnostika, Freiburg, Germany, or EUROLINE PNS 12 Ag; Euroimmun, Lübeck, Germany). They were later confirmed in the reference center by in-house techniques: indirect immunofluorescence on rat brain sections, as well as cell-based assay and Western blot for both cerebellar degeneration-related (CDR2) and CDR2L proteins. 6 Clinical data were retrospectively collected from all available medical charts; treating physicians were contacted in case of missing information. Neurological disability was classified according to the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) v 5.0: grade 1 = asymptomatic or mild; grade 2 = minimal, non-invasive intervention indicated; grade 3 = severe, not immediately life-threatening; grade 4 = life-threatening, urgent intervention indicated; grade 5 = death. 7 Tumor samples were retrieved when available.

Study flowchart.
Tumor pathology study
Four-μm-thick formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue sections were stained with hematoxylin–phloxine–saffron to confirm diagnosis. Ovarian tumors from patients with ICI-naïve anti-Yo PNS (
Comparative genomic hybridization array
Comparative genomic hybridization array was performed to assess copy number variations in the 17q region that contains
Results
Clinical presentation
We identified five patients with anti-Yo post-ICI neurological syndromes (diagnosed between 2019 and 2024). Four patients (patients 1–4) were included in previous publications,8,9 but their clinical presentation was not detailed, and new follow-up information is provided herein. Four out of 5 patients were female (80%), and their median age was 61 years (range 53–78). They had gynecological malignancies (3/5, 60%; uterine cancer,
Demographics, clinical and paraclinical findings, treatment, and outcome.
CTCAE, Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events; CYC, cyclophosphamide; ICI, immune checkpoint inhibitor; IVIG, intravenous immunoglobulins; IVMP, intravenous methylprednisolone; mRS, modified Rankin Score; NA, not available; OCB, oligoclonal bands; OPT, oral prednisone taper; RPCS, rapidly progressive cerebellar syndrome; RTX, rituximab; STIR, Short Tau Inversion Recovery.
Tumor analysis
The histological subtypes in patients with lung cancer were acinar-predominant adenocarcinoma (myelitis, patient 1) and poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma (RPCS, patient 2). The histological subtypes in patients with gynecological malignancies (all with RPCS) were clear cell ovarian carcinoma (patient 3) and high-grade serous uterine carcinoma (patients 4 and 5). Immune cell infiltration was mild or absent in all tumors. Available tumor samples were one ovarian cancer (patient 3) and one lung cancer (patient 1).
The ovarian tumor was sampled 12 months before onset of the neurological syndrome and showed a strong gain (4 copies) in the 17q region that contains

Yo antigen detection in tumor samples. Immunohistochemical staining was performed using 3,3′-diaminobenzidine as the chromogen, yielding a brown reaction product. Hematoxylin was used as a blue nuclear counterstain. CDR2L expression was detected by immunohistochemistry using a commercially available monoclonal antibody in the ovarian cancer of a patient with post-ICI anti-Yo PNS (Patient 3; (a)) and the ovarian cancer of a control with ICI-naïve anti-Yo PNS (b). CDR2L was overexpressed (score of 2.5; dark brown) in both ovarian cancers; no difference in terms of expression intensity was observed between the post-ICI ovarian anti-Yo patient and the ICI-naïve anti-Yo ovarian control. Yo immunoreactivity using biotinylated anti-Yo sera was detected in the same tumor samples: the ovarian cancer of the patient with post-ICI anti-Yo PNS (Patient 3; (c)), and the ovarian cancer of the control patient with ICI-naïve anti-Yo PNS (d). Note that a weak immunostaining was observed in both the anti-Yo post-ICI ovarian case and the ICI-naïve anti-Yo ovarian control. CDR2L expression was detected by immunohistochemistry using a commercially available monoclonal antibody in the lung cancer of a case with post-ICI anti-Yo PNS (Patient 1, (e)), and the lung cancer of a control without PNS (f). CDR2L staining intensity was low (score of 1; light brown) in both lung cancers, and there was no difference between the post-ICI lung anti-Yo case and the lung control without PNS. Yo immunoreactivity using biotinylated anti-Yo sera was detected in the same tumor samples: the lung cancer of the patient with post-ICI anti-Yo PNS (Patient 1, (g)) and the lung cancer of the control without PNS (h). A strong Yo immunoreactivity was detected in the post-ICI lung anti-Yo case, but not in the lung control without PNS. Scale bar: 100 μm.
The lung tumor material was insufficient to perform comparative genomic hybridization array. By IHC, CDR2L was found to be expressed in this tumor, but was not overexpressed compared to a control lung tumor without associated PNS (score of 1 in both; Figure 2(e) and (f)). Anti-Yo PNS are only exceptionally associated with lung cancer,11–13 which prevented any comparison with ICI-naïve lung tumors from patients with ICI-naïve anti-Yo PNS. The relatively weak CDR2L immunostaining contrasted with a strong immunoreactivity using biotinylated anti-Yo sera (Figure 2(g)). This Yo immunoreactivity was not observed in the control lung adenocarcinoma (Figure 2(h)).
Discussion
Anti-Yo antibodies are mainly associated with ovarian and breast cancers, 1 for which the use of ICI treatment has been, so far, rather marginal, perhaps explaining the scarcity of patients with anti-Yo post-ICI neurological syndromes identified in the study center and published elsewhere.2,5 Most tumor associations of the patients presented herein were different from those of patients with spontaneous anti-Yo PNS 1 : the only patient with ovarian cancer had a clear cell carcinoma, much rarer than the ovarian serous carcinoma classically associated with anti-Yo PNS (and the most frequent subtype in the general population) 3 ; two patients had a uterine serous carcinoma, which represents only 10% of the endometrial cancers 14 and has been only sporadically associated with spontaneous anti-Yo PNS. 15 The remaining two patients had a lung adenocarcinoma, which is among the most frequent ICI indications 16 but is usually not associated with anti-Yo PNS, with only a few cases described before the ICI era.11–13 Despite such atypical tumor associations, 4/5 patients herein had a severe and irreversible RPCS clinically indistinguishable from spontaneous anti-Yo PNS, 1 suggesting shared pathogenic mechanisms in the immune-mediated attack on the cerebellum. Notably, while a classical association with small-cell lung cancer is frequently encountered in post-ICI anti-Hu PNS, 17 unusual tumor associations (e.g., pleural mesothelioma or kidney clear cell carcinoma) have been reported in post-ICI anti-Ma2 PNS. 2 It is therefore possible that tumor types other than those classically associated with specific PNS may alter and/or increase the expression of the corresponding onconeural antigens under the ICI-triggered antitumor immune attack. 18
Beyond the clinical similarities, evidence of a cancer antigen-driven immunopathogenesis in the patient with ovarian cancer presented herein emerged from the corresponding tumor molecular analysis, which showed the same alterations of
Regardless of how the immune response was generated, it is noteworthy that no patient improved after ICI discontinuation and immunosuppression, mirroring the lack of response to immunotherapies of spontaneous PNS associated with high-risk PNS antibodies, which mostly result from cytotoxic T-cell mechanisms leading to irreversible loss of neuronal populations.1,2 However, it remains unknown whether similar effector mechanisms also occur in patients with anti-Yo antibodies and atypical syndromes. Indeed, myelitis has been described in association with anti-Yo antibodies outside the ICI context, but the mechanisms leading to the neurological symptoms are unknown. 21
The main limitations of this study include the small cohort size, limited tumor sample availability, and restricted capacity for molecular analyses, which render the interpretation of our findings to some extent speculative. Nevertheless, the results contribute to the scientific discussion and highlight future research directions in an exceptionally rare disease, reinforcing the study’s relevance. Key findings (the presence of a pre-existing
Conclusion
In conclusion, post-ICI anti-Yo neurological syndromes may occur in patients with atypical cancer associations, but mostly manifest with a severe and irreversible RCPS indistinguishable from spontaneous anti-Yo PNS, suggesting similarities in the immune-mediated attack on the cerebellum. The CDR2L overexpression and the pre-ICI anti-Yo antibody positivity in the patient with ovarian cancer suggest that the ICI enhanced a pre-formed, tumor-driven autoimmunity. However, further studies are needed to clarify whether this mechanism applies to all the patients and if other types of tumor alterations and/or immune dysfunctions could be involved.
Supplemental Material
sj-docx-1-tan-10.1177_17562864251377559 – Supplemental material for Clinical and tumor features of patients with immune checkpoint inhibitor-related neurological disorders and anti-Yo antibodies
Supplemental material, sj-docx-1-tan-10.1177_17562864251377559 for Clinical and tumor features of patients with immune checkpoint inhibitor-related neurological disorders and anti-Yo antibodies by Antonio Farina, Elise Peter, Nolwenn Billet, Macarena Villagrán-García, Véronique Rogemond, Celeste Nicola, Isabelle Treilleux, Le-Duy Do, Marie Benaiteau, Géraldine Picard, David Meyronet, Daniel Pissaloux, Marine Villard, Valentin Wucher, Jérôme Honnorat, Bastien Joubert and Virginie Desestret in Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders
Supplemental Material
sj-docx-2-tan-10.1177_17562864251377559 – Supplemental material for Clinical and tumor features of patients with immune checkpoint inhibitor-related neurological disorders and anti-Yo antibodies
Supplemental material, sj-docx-2-tan-10.1177_17562864251377559 for Clinical and tumor features of patients with immune checkpoint inhibitor-related neurological disorders and anti-Yo antibodies by Antonio Farina, Elise Peter, Nolwenn Billet, Macarena Villagrán-García, Véronique Rogemond, Celeste Nicola, Isabelle Treilleux, Le-Duy Do, Marie Benaiteau, Géraldine Picard, David Meyronet, Daniel Pissaloux, Marine Villard, Valentin Wucher, Jérôme Honnorat, Bastien Joubert and Virginie Desestret in Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders
Footnotes
Acknowledgements
We thank M. Coustans, M. Noblecourt, T. Ancel, and G. Belliart-Guerin for providing patient’s clinical data and samples, L. Odeyer, A. Colombe Vermorel, and E. Malandain for expert technical assistance in IHC staining, NeuroBioTec Hospices Civils de Lyon BRC (France, AC-2013-1867, NFS96-900) for banking serum samples, Tissu-Tumorothèque Est, CRB-HCL, Hospices Civils de Lyon (Lyon, France, BB-0033-00046) and the Biopathology Department Biobank of Centre Léon Bérard (Lyon, France, BB-0033-00050), for banking tumor samples, D. Laville for providing control specimen of the lung adenocarcinoma, and P. Robinson (DRS, Hospices Civils de Lyon) for help in manuscript preparation.
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References
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