Decision-making for intensive rehabilitation in patients with Trousseau syndrome: Insights from a case series

Patients with Trousseau syndrome, a common complication of advanced cancer, typically have poor survival. For that reason, there is a need to determine the effectiveness of rehabilitation treatment and develop a comprehensive treatment strategy earlier than that in the general stroke population. We investigated the relationship between physical function and its outcome 1 month after the start of intensive rehabilitation treatment in patients with Trousseau syndrome, to obtain insights for determining the indications for intensive rehabilitation in these patients. PATIENT CONCERNS: The development of Trousseau syndrome may worsen the performance status (PS), often necessitating a reevaluation of the indications for treatment of the primary cancer. Furthermore, the primary cancer may progress during rehabilitation therapy. DIAGNOSES: These patients were diagnosed with Trousseau syndrome. INTERVENTIONS: All patients underwent training under the supervision of a therapist for 2 to 3 hours per day, 7 days per week, with a focus on exercise therapy. The functional independence measure (FIM) 1 month after admission to the convalescent rehabilitation ward, modified Rankin scale (mRS) score on admission and on the date of last assessment, and its outcome was examined. OUTCOMES: The time from stroke onset to admission to rehabilitation ranged from 22 to 60 days. Primary cancers were lung, bladder, prostate, ovarian, uterine, and unknown primary. Four patients had advanced cancer with distant metastasis. Two patients were discharged to home with independent activities of daily living (ADL) status. Two patients were transferred to palliative care, and 3 patients died. The 2 patients with independent ADL status had a mean motor score of 90 and a mean cognitive score of 30 on FIM, while the other 5 patients had a mean motor score of 29 and a mean cognitive score of 21 at 1 month of admission. Patients with mRS > 3 on admission did not have independent ADL status at 1 month. LESSONS: Intensive rehabilitation therapy may be indicated for patients with Trousseau syndrome who are expected to improve physical function after approximately 1 month of rehabilitation. Palliative care should be considered if recovery is inadequate.